Color Wheel
by Dragon S.W.K
Summary: Tina really didn't know what to think when she wakes up in a cell, except to find her brother. Now, Tina must travel with Yuri Lowell, while trying to find her twin brother along the way. YurixOC JudithxOC
1. Waking up

**This is edited, so if anyone skipped this paragraph and is confused not my problem! Nopety nope! Welcome to my story, hope we have a grand 'ole time!**

I lazily slouched, eyes glued to my computer. I clench my eyes, angry and sad and depressed is a horrible combination. My aunt couldn't drag me out of this hole I've dug, she's already given up on me . I still couldn't believe it though.

My brother was dead. Well, he's supposed to be. This is where I hit my first snag. You see, my brother Kris and I have always had a sort of...connection. Nothing dramatic like mind-reading or something, more just, impressions, of the others emotions. He can tell what I'm feeling and I can feel what he's feeling. Now, the reason this whole death scheme is being brought to question is, one, they haven't found a body after years of searching, and Kris would never leave me alone. Two, I can still feel him.

"Kris, where are you?" I mumble, staring at the stars through my window. I let myself sink into longing, knowing he can feel it. I get the same longing feeling back, and I let a spark of relief into my signals. I feel a tinge of happiness in his signal, before it grows dim.

"You fell asleep huh…you always were the baby." Our emotions grow dim when we sleep, less prominent so we won't wake up from another's dreams. I freeze as I see a shooting star in the sky, and I smile. Maybe, even if no one else could...I could still find him?

"Star that's falling mile by mile, find me what is lost. Look for it with all your might, through the heat and frost..." By the end of the little childhood rhyme and wish, I'm already asleep.

Okay...that is really bright!

"Ugh." I groan, trying to clear my vision and get used to the light.

"You're awake finally!" What? Who is that? Ugh my head… finally, after a grueling few minutes, I can clearly see my surroundings…

Where am I?! This isn't Auntie's house! I sit up quickly, but then groan as my head starts to throb even harder.

"Hey relax there kid, you shouldn't be wrestling around in your condition." A gruff voice speaks out. I taking in a few deep breaths, as my headache fades while my heart calms, and look over where I am more thoroughly. It seems to be some kind of cell, there is toilet in the corner, blocked by a wall…uhh, that's pretty nasty. Other then that, the rock hard bed I'm on is the only other thing in the cell. Who called me then?

"Where are you?" I call out, my quiet voice echoing through the other cells.

"Over here kid." I slowly crawl off my bed to the bars. The figure is on my right in the cells across from me. He's a middle aged man, with his black hair in a messy ponytail, and purple robes on.

Wait a minute…is that Raven?! From the game Tales of Vesperia?!

"Where am I?" I mumble, looking around to make sure I actually am where I think I am…

"You're in the prison of Zaphias kid." He doesn't realize I'm a girl yet does he?

Dammit! What am I doing in a video game?! I let out a groan, resting my head against the bars.

"I don't even remember how I got here…" I groan out. I freeze as I notice something…I'm anime! That's so….cool! I look myself over, taking in my appearance. I'm wearing baggy black pants, with a high necked, loose gray jacket with belts across it. My hands and feet are wrapped in my usual fighting wrappings, black ribbons to protect my knuckles and ankles.

"Guess they haven't seen a person fight solely with these before…" I mumble aloud, stretching my hands to make sure they aren't too tight. I look up to see Raven staring at me curiously.

"What's your name kid?" He asks, eyeing me intensely, though most people wouldn't be able to tell.

"Tina." My parents were going to name their kid Kris if it was a boy, or Christina if it was a girl. They were dumbfounded when they discovered they had twins, so they named us Kris and Tina. Weird I know, but we love them for it.

"So you're a lady?" I give him a smirk.

"I'm more a woman than a lady." I drawl, he barks out a small laugh, still staying reasonably quiet though. I'm glad my voice is naturally quiet, I forgot the guard was sleeping!

"What's your name?" I ask, tilting my head, my short, albeit messy hair getting in my eyes.

"Raven." I grin widely, opening my mouth to say something, before I hear footsteps. Not wanting to be found awake just yet, I quietly slid back onto the bed, and rest my head, letting my orange hair get in my eyes, hiding them from the outside world, but allowing me to see a little. I listen as the guard wakes up, and I watch as they drag a purple blob into the cell across from me.

So, Yuri's here huh? I close my eyes, and feel my brother's emotions. He's mildly scared right now, but I can tell it's paranoia before much else. I send him a feeling of confusion, worry, and wonder, and he sends me a signal of excitement along with his fear from before.

Is he….here?! I let out a tiny gasp, before sitting up.

He must be! I look over at Yuri's still form. If I help him, I could find Kris on my journey, they travel the whole globe right?! Now I just need to convince him to help me out! I stand up again,abandoning my mission of faking unconsciousness for social interaction. There's a first for everything. Raven is leaning against the wall, and he catches my eye. I nod my head towards Yuri, and Raven simply shrugs, before he turns to the knight that's awake and on duty and starts telling him quite interesting stories, I listen in mild curiosity, waiting for Yuri to finally get annoyed. From what I can see, Yuri is definitely taller than me, I mean, I'm only 5.0, but he looks to be a good 5.9 at least, not sure though. He doesn't look much different from the game, but instead of the animation being like the actual gameplay, it reminds me more of like first strike and the cut scenes, much more realistic. I like it. Finally, the knight leaves. I let out a sigh, might as well say the first word.

"Finally he's gone! Hey, purple guy! You must be bored staying quiet so long!" My voice is still quiet, and quite low just like at home, so that hasn't changed in my animefication (?). I watch in amusement as Yuri looks over at me, mild surprise written on his face.

"Didn't see you there kid." Why does everyone assume I'm a kid?! I mean I'm younger than Raven but come on!

"I'm not a kid, how old are you?" I always wondered this, I heard it once but I can't remember. He grunts.

"22." I grin at him, before leaning back on my arms.

"Well I'm 23 so..." he raises a suspicious eyebrow at me, before Raven finally jumps in, and the regular script continues. I zone out, slipping my hands into the baggy sleeves of my jacket and closing my eyes.

"Hey, Tina darling!" I send a glare towards Raven, and he backs off, obviously noticing my annoyance, I see Yuri raise an eyebrow.

"What are you in here for?" I let out a sigh, might as well come clean.

"I have no idea actually, one minute I'm taking a nap, next I wake up in a cell. I would love to get outta here though…" I trail off, as more footsteps echo down the hallway. I watch quietly as Alexei walks past me, he gives me a small glance, and I give him a glare, my signature 'I know you're a bastard' glare that I give many people. He scoffs, looking away, and finally leads Raven out of here. What surprises me though, is that he gives ME two keys, instead of giving Yuri one!

"Get that guy outta here, under the statue of the goddess. Good luck kid." I give him a small smile, and watch as he leaves. Yuri stares at me, his eyes curious as I stand up, holding the two keys out for him to see.

"The old man told me a way out, and told me to lead you out as well." I explain quietly, unlocking my cell and his. He raises an eyebrow at the height difference.

"You're 23?" I give him a scowl on the head, causing him to smirk, before silently walking towards the sleeping guard. I walk around his snoring self, giving Yuri a grin as I grab a few gels and cash from his pouch. He gives me a suspicious glance and I shrug, before walking past silently, and opening the trunk that contains Yuri's stuff. He grabs his stuff, when I notice a small grey bag in the trunk as well….is this for me? I grab it and open it, spotting several more sets of wraps, food, gels and gald. Must be for me then. I slide it onto my shoulder.

"Where is your weapon?" He hisses at me. I put a finger to my lips, and continue to walk out. I can't be happy enough that I took martial arts, it's gonna be a lifesaver here! I ignore Yuri's clomping footsteps and silently slide into the hallways. I let Yuri lead the way, as we kind of need to be seen for things to work out… finally, the guards spot us, and Yuri lets out the scripted complaint, before charging in to fight. I stand and watch, as he takes the two lance knights on his own, until finally one of them notices me. I watch as Yuri cuts down the first one, before the second one stabs his lance at me. Finally focusing on him, I jump towards him, landing with both feet on his lance. Before he can even stumble backwards, I lift my right leg, striking him in the chin, and snapping his neck. I flinch at the sound, but backflip gracefully and land crouching low. Hesitantly, I sneak a peek at Yuri.

"Are we aiming to kill? I kicked too hard…" I mumble out, slowly standing to face him. Yuri's face is that of surprise, curiosity, and mild wariness. He nods his head towards the other knight, who's severely injured.

"Only if you have no choice." I follow Yuri in silence for a little longer, before remembering something I've forgotten to ask.

"Hey, what's your name?" He doesn't even bother to face me, not that I mind much.

"Yuri Lowell." I let out a small chuckle, before looking down the hallway, my eyes scanning the area for enemies.

"So you're a girl?" He asks. Interesting…Lowell striking up a conversation.

"Yeah, lots of people miss that, can't blame them though." Yuri gives me a small smirk.

"Then again you're too short to be a gu-ow!" Yuri lets out a small yelp as my hand whaps him on the head.

"Shut up." I hiss out, crossing my arms. He gives me a smirk.

"So you fight hand-to-hand? Don't know many people who do that." I give him a shrug, might as well simply bend the truth.

"I was simply raised with it. In the town I'm from, not many bother to learn, but those who do are usually rewarded." I say distractedly.

"Rewarded with what?" He questions, I give him a smirk.

"Being a badass." I hold up a fist, and he rolls his eyes, looking around the hallways, trying to find his way around.

"Barely remember anything from when I was a knight…" He mumbles, before walking down the hallway to his right. I observe the walls, as they are much more detailed and beautiful then in the game.

"You were in the knights?" I ask, letting out a snort.

"Barely, for a few months." He seems a little detached from the subject, glancing at his Bodhi blastia, or should I say, Captain Fredrick's blastia….suddenly, Yuri pulls me back against the wall. Mouthing a 'sorry' to him, I quietly listen as Estelle, or, Estellise at the moment, let's out her speech about being able to use a sword and of the like. Finally, I hear the opening of a sheath.

"I'm afraid you leave us no choice. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this…" 'Wouldn't come to this' my ass! Estelle isn't my favorite character, but she doesn't deserve a beating just because you can't do your job! Geez…

"ARGH!" Well, seems I missed Yuri's grand entrance….hey, he only hit one of the knights! He hits two in the game! Maybe that one's for me…well then!

I dash out from the side, jumping and delivering a delicious flying side kick to the guards head. I land on his breast plate, before looking over my shoulders at the other two knights.

"Well what do we have here? Two so called, perilous knights trying to harm a lady for no good reason? Tsk, shame on you two!" I drawl, my voice mocking. I hear Yuri snort behind me, and I let out a dramatic sigh, before stepping off the unconscious guard. The knights prepare to fight, yelling out a boring, 'identify yourselves!' before they both head towards me! Well shit, time to wreck some havoc I guess! I duck under the first knight, give him a punch right in the gut, before using my other hand to grab his shoulder, and chucking him behind me.

"This one's yours Yuri!" I shout, before dodging to the left as the other knight slashes at me. I click my tongue, before jumping back, giving me some room, and a view of Yuri fighting the knight I threw behind me. Suddenly, I feel a weird sensation in my hand. I continue dodging the knight, irked at the feeling in my hand…what is this? Wait…is this an arte I'm feeling?! I must have a blastia on me then! I grind my teeth as the knight's sword skims my arm slightly. Well, here goes nothing!

My hand glows a golden red hue. I raise it, bringing it down as a punch to the face.

"Fire Fist!" I yell, slamming my fist into his head. The guard goes flying, and I'm left panting slightly at the exertion. Well, first true move and I make a reference to two different anime (Fairy Tail and One piece)! Yay me! I check to make sure the guard is done, before looking over my shoulder, a grin on my face. Yuri simply has a raised eyebrow.

"Did you see that?! He went flying so far!" I cheer. What can I say? I'm impressed by myself! Yuri lets out a small chuckle, before turning to the fallen knights.

"Don't they teach these guys manners in knight school anymore?" Wait a minute…Estelle isn't behind Yuri which means…

"Whoa! You trying to kill me?! Go for Yuri, he's more sketchy!" I yelp, as a vase shatters beside me. I move away from her carefully, before dashing behind Yuri. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug.

"She's scary." Yuri lets out a huff, before turning back to Estellise, who is watching us curiously.

"Why did you try to kill my companion here?" Yuri questions, and I let out a sigh, before leaning against his side, truthfully, I'm surprised he doesn't throw me off, he just pauses a bit, before leaning forwards ever so slightly.

"Well, you two aren't from the castle are you?" Well, back to the script, let's join in a bit.

"I'll take that as a compliment!' I pipe up, brushing Yuri's long hair out of my face.

"Yuri Lowell! Where are yooooou?!" Okay….that sounds mildly creepy, I kind of forgot about those three…

"You foul fugitive! I say, we know you're trying to make your escape!" I truthfully forget the tweedles names at the moment… I lazily jump off Yuri, brushing myself off and preparing to leave, taking the belongings off the other knights while Estelle is distracted and won't complain about it.

"Oh please, not them again. Guess there's no point in going back to the prison cell now." I give him a 'really?' look, and he simply leans his head towards Estelle. The three idiot knights continue their shouting and I wince slightly, my sensitive ears really not doing that well.

"Yuri Lowell? You're one of Flynn's friends, aren't you?" I let out a sigh, before I proceed to dig through my backpack, trying to find something to eat.

"Who are you?" Wait….is she talking to me? I look up, to see her staring straight at me, Yuri with a reluctant look on his face. Must have already talked about Flynn…I shake myself out of my thoughts.

"My name is Tina, Tina Carol Edwards." Might as well be polite in my introductions. Yes I know, my middle name is the same as Karol but with a C. Kris has the same middle name as me as well!

"Over here!" A shout echoes, causing Yuri to turn towards Estellise.

"Listen, I want to hear the whole story, but we can't really afford to stand around and chat. First things first, let's get to Flynn's place. Want me to lead the way?"

"Ah, yes!" Dammit Estelle, those lines are the ones that annoy me! I run up beside Yuri, matching his pace. He looks over at me.

"You don't mind the detour?" He asks. I give him a small grin.

"It'll be fun! Beside, this Flynn sounds interesting!" I grin, giving a small chuckle.

**Hello! I just finished my latest chapter and realized how bad these were, I wrote them a while ago and kind of just posted them on a whim, before I was hit by inspiration! So I'm cleaning it up!**

**Hope you like this story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Tina and Kris and any storyline diversion caused by them.**

**From: S.W.K.**


	2. The LONG FREAKING JOURNEY OF A CASTLE!

**Chapter edit time~ Man, these really needed some cleaning up. They're a bit short, but making them longer would require me shifting all the chapters so I'm gonna leave it be! If there are any conflicting portions of the storyline please inform me! Now, writing time~**

We continue to walk down the hallways at an even pace, knocking out guards along the way, and all around. Thankfully, we can't kill anyone with Estelle around, so I don't have to...kill anyone. Criminals and murderers maybe but knights doing there jobs? Nope. But enough of that sad stuff, the castle is beautiful, and my companions are pretty good for conversation!

_Extra: Tough?!_

_Estelle: So, Tina, how did you not injure your feet before?_

_Tina: When?_

_Yuri: I think she means with the vase, and how your feet didn't get cut._

_Tina: Oh…it's a trait of my family, we have naturally tough skin, especially on our feet and hands. I can walk through snow and hot sand because of it!_

_Estelle: That must be very useful!_

_Tina: Yep! Shoes are crazy expensive!_

_Yuri: Heh, you got a point there._

_Estelle: Point? Are we keeping a score?_

_*Both Tina and Yuri sigh*_

_Tina: Never mind…_

_End of skit_

Finally, we walk down the hallway I know has Flynn's room along it.

"Yeah, it was around here…" Estelle mumbles, it's weird hearing the dialogue that wasn't voiced over in the game. I pull the straps of my bag, tightening it closer to me.

"This is Flynn's room." Yuri gestures to the door right beside us. Estelle looks at the door, a surprised look on her face. I let out a small chuckle, before walking over to the door. Yuri follows behind me, and I quickly dodge out of the way, letting him go first.

"Ladies first." I chirp, causing Yuri to let out a snort, he barges in anyways. When we enter, it truly surprises me how clean it is, I mean, I know clean places, but seriously! I let out a whistle.

"Seems like your friend is quite spick and spam Yuri." Yuri raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug.

"Flynn must be off gallivanting somewhere." Yep, spot on bro. I lay down on Flynn's bed, purposely messing up the sheets a bit.

"So…that must mean I'm too late…" Here we go with the mellow dramatics, he's a big boy! He can take care of himself! I roll over, before finally sitting up.

"What sort of wickedness did you do anyway?" Yuri questions Estelle, obviously curious.

"Me? I haven't done anything wrong?" Well, you do seem kind of suspicious at this point in the story Estelle...

"You had knights searching for you and drawing their swords at you. Yuri at least looks the part, but what did you do?" I pipe up, earning myself a glare from Yuri. I just give him a grin.

"You don't look so innocent yourself Tina." Wow, first time he calls me by my name! It sounds…nice. Weird...

"Hey! I can't be specific, but Flynn is in terrible danger! I've got to go and warn him." Estelle cuts in, causing Yuri to look back over at her. She is standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, obviously not as fond of invading as Yuri and I.

"So go if you want to go. What's wrong with that?" Yuri comes to sit by me on the bed, I proceed to get a whiff of him. He smells like cinnamon, and flowers. Dear god Tina! Now's not the freaking time to be smelling people! T

"In that case, would you take me with you….please? Other than Flynn, there's no one I can depend on. Please, I'm begging you." And I once again have zoned out, congratulations me! Yuri gives me a glance, and I smile.

"I have the way out, so it's my call, but first off, tell us your name." Estelle opens her mouth to tell us and 3…2…1...

"Aaaah!" Estelle yelps as the door is broken down. I watch patiently for the mad man to make his appearance.

"Prepare to fall victim to my blade…" I flop unceremoniously onto my back on the bed, ignoring Zagi, and admiring the ceiling. I hear the smash of that pitcher…

"Hey, haven't you tried, I don't know, WALKING through a door like a NORMAL person maybe? Good thing to try, then again, you don't seem like the kind of guy to…." I finally take a look up during my sarcastic rant, and get a good look at Zagi's hair…

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH YOUR HAIR! OH GOSH! I CAN'T BREATHE!"

I'm lucky I didn't fall on the floor, but quite a few tears were swelling up in my eyes. After about 30 seconds, with Yuri awkwardly rubbing my back, I calmed down. Zagi stares at me, his eyes murderous. I purposely try not to look at his ridiculous hair.

"G-go on, heh, I'm not stopping you yet." Zagi points his blade at me!

"I am Zagi… The man who will end your life. Now die, Flynn Scifo!"

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA WHOA WHOA! Stop there a second, I'm a female! Flynn's a guy!" To my surprise, Zagi actually pauses, before turning to Yuri.

"That means you're him!" He shrieks. "Now DIE!" I dodge, as Zagi front flips into Yuri! Yuri blocks him just in time, before I rush in, noticing my hand glowing blue...hmmm…. I grab Zagi's hilarious hair tightly. The light reminds me of a Quincy's arrows from 'Bleach'...

"Ginrei Kojaku!" I shout, launching Zagi high into the air. (Flynn's room is much bigger than it looks.) Suddenly though, the light from my arm shoots out! It hits Zagi dead in the chest, causing a small explosion to erupt around him. Luckily, it's not very loud, I can tell it hurt a lot though.

"Tina, what the hell?" Yuri yells, startled by my random arte. Suddenly, a grinning Zagi dashes out of the smoke, blade about to slice off my head!

"Now's not the time Yuri!" I yell, ducking and rolling, before kicking Zagi in the face, and back flipping away. Obviously getting his common sense back, Yuri dashes in, and strikes a long cut along Zagi's back. Zagi turns to cut him, only to have to suddenly block a kick from me. Yuri and I continue to attempt to overwhelm Zagi, and I have to admit I'm surprised by our teamwork. Finally, Yuri delivers a slash to Zagi's chest, causing him to step back and pause.

Is he going to…?

"Ahh, now I feel it." Well, shit.

"You feel what? I'm not feeling anything over here." Yuri drawls. Zagi lets out a loud cackle.

"Yes, so full of confidence."

"Watch it Yuri, he's going into full insanity mode." Even with the joke, my voice is dead serious. Yuri gives me a quick glance, before putting himself in a defensive stance.

"Ah hah hah! That's it! That's it! Now I feel truly alive!" This was way less creepy in the game…

"What's with him all of a sudden?"

"Watch yourself Yuri." He nods.

"Mwah hah hah hah!" Zagi laughs out crazily, now appearing ten times more dangerous. He lashes out, striking at Yuri, who blocks, letting out a pained grunt.

"Yuri! Tina! Let me help you!" Estelle finally steps in. I wonder what healing magic feels like….not the time Tina!

"Stay away!" Yuri shouts, slashing at Zagi, in which he easily flips away from. I jog up beside Yuri, eyeing Estelle carefully.

"But-"

"No!" Yuri shouts, and Estelle steps back, before turning to me... Wait, this isn't supposed to happen! Zagi is keeping his mouth shut.

"Yuri! We need all the help we can get!" I yell, giving Estelle a nod. Yuri growls. Finally, Zagi speaks up.

"Bring it! The more the merrier!"

"If things get out of hand, run for it." Yuri firmly presses, giving me a quick side glare, before turning his attention fully on Zagi.

"I will."

"Hey you two, let's get moving about NOW!" I shout, dodging a strike from the weird haired maniac. Yuri gives me a nod, before charging back in.

The fight goes on smoothly, with Estelle interjecting here or there for a hit or two. The healing magic feels nice, but I fought through and ignored it in favor of avoiding a blade to the face or chest.

"You got the wrong guy. Aren't you supposed to know this stuff?" Finally! I jump back from Zagi, landing to Yuri's left.

"Does he look like a knight to you?" I drawl.

"He's not Flynn!" Estelle interjects.

"Details, details! Bring it!" Whoa, didn't realize just how psychopathic this guy really was till I've seen it for myself…

"This guy's nuts. Flynn sure made some interesting enemies."

"Agreed." I mumble, though I can tell Yuri heard me. A red eye creepily runs in, and I stay in a cautious stance. Tough the things that have changed are little, I don't know if they'll suddenly become bigger.

"Zagi, we're leaving. The knights are onto us." He hisses, and I let out a small shudder. Zagi slashes the red eye, giving me mild relief at no stray of plot, but I stay on my guard. The red eye raises back up.

"How dare you!" He hisses.

"Hah hah hah! Mind your own business! I'm just getting to the best part!" Where we kill you? Yep.

"Hurry, before the knights get here. Or would you rather have your fun end today?" Zagi slaughters the poor bastard, before looking back to us, and picking up the corpse.

Oh…so that's where it goes! Makes sense…

"We should be getting a move on too." Oh…he's gone already? Shit I need to stop zoning out!

"Yep." I pop the 'P', spinning on my heel. Yuri and I head towards the door. I grin at him.

"Let's pay a visit to the goddess, then head on our way." I steal Yuri's line. He can't say it anyways, he doesn't know the clue!

"Um, Yuri! Tina!" We both turn to face Estellise. I give her a grin.

"Don't worry, you're allowed to come along." Yuri says. Estelle pauses.

"Oh. Right. But I was going to say, my name is Estellise." Finally! I can call her something! Avoiding calling her by name really bugged me! I let relief fill my thoughts, only for it to be laced with my brothers' amusement. I let my thoughts turn playfully evil, causing his emotions to spike with happiness, a sign he's laughing. I can't believe I blocked him out for this long! I send an apologetic signal, and he sends a forgiving one.

"Tina!" I snap out of my daze to see Estellise in my face, I look over at Yuri, who's fixing the door.

"Are you alright?" She asks worriedly, I give a small laugh.

"I'm fine Estellise, just thinking."

"You actually think? I couldn't tell." I smack Yuri upside the head, as he finishes fixing the door.

"Ouch!"

"You deserved it **Yui!**" I drawl. He looks at me surprised, but I ignore the look. "We should get going…" I mumble, before we head out, away from the sounds of knights approaching. We approach the opening showing the floor below, which is in chaos, most likely from the red eye guys and their guild….which I forget the name of…

"I wonder if this is because of those guys earlier." Yuri says, glancing at the panicking knights.

"They better not try to pin this on me too." Yuri scowls at the thought.

"How would they? This seems like something far out of our league, no offense."

"I hope no one was hurt." Estellise mumbles worriedly, causing me to sigh. Obviously someone would get hurt, it is a fight. Such a naïve person…

"Don't worry about the knights. They'll be sure to protect themselves." Yuri and I share a look.

"Yes…I guess so…" Estelle looks so worried, that I can't help but place a hand on her shoulder, and giving her a small smile.

"Yuri Lowell! Where are you hiding?" The voice of that captain guy echoes through the halls, causing both Yuri and I to sigh in sync.

"That must be Leblanc." Oh, that's his name! "I'd recognize those dulcet tones anywhere."

"Do you two know him?" I give her a shrug, before pointing at Yuri.

"We have a bit of a history…" He sighs, and I stifle a laugh. "…Come on let's hurry." We start to walk around the railing when…

"Thump!" I turn to see Estellise having tripped on her dress.

"Ooh…we need to do something about that Yuri." He nods, helping Estelle up from her small tumble.

"You'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"My room is just up ahead, I have some clothes there." It takes another batch of knights unconscious to make our way to Estelle's room.

"This is my room." Oh…we're there already?

"I'll go get changed, just give me a minute." Estelle pauses, as if waiting for confirmation.

"No problem, don't take too long though, we need to get going." I tell her, before she disappears behind the door. I slouch against the door, waiting for the mention of Flynn telling Estellise to watch herself around Yuri…but nothing happens!

"Hey Yuri." I call out quietly, keeping my eyes to the floor, planning out my next words carefully.

"Hmm?" He grunts.

"Why are you here?" I listen quietly as he explains the lower quarter's situation. I always loved how Yuri never even bothered to think about any possible consequences about his journey, only his goals. I find that admirable in a person.

"Tina?" He asks, noticing I had zoned out. I give him a small smile, before holding out my hand.

"I'm going to help you." He hesitantly stares at my hand.

"Why?" I look straight into his eyes, deep into the stormy grey mist, before cracking a grin.

"Two reasons." He grabs my hand before I can say them, causing me to laugh. He smirks, before gesturing me to continue. Jerk, he already agreed! "One." I hold up a finger. "…okay I forgot one." A muffled laugh. "Two…" My face turns serious.

"I'm looking for someone." I ignore the curiosity of my brother seeping into my mind. He can stuff it! I'm getting serious!

"Who?" I look up at the ceiling, before letting out a deep sigh.

"My brother, Kris, went missing about a month ago. The people who he held dear, gave up on him in about a week. I know he's not dead though." I finally turn to look at Yuri, his face is surprised, but he patiently listens to me, something some people never did at home.

"You want to find him." I shake my head, a small smile on my face.

"No, I **need** to find him Yuri. He's my twin, but he was always the shy one, who knows what trouble he's gotten into!" I can tell by Yuri's face that he's imagining a guy version of me. "No, we're not identical." He frowns at this, causing me to snicker.

"I agree to your two reasons, then again, I can't object after shaking your hand can I?" I bark out a laugh, before going silent, closing my eyes as we wait for Estellise. Finally, the door opens, much to my relief. Revealing Estelle in all her glory… her very…pink glory. She does a little spin, before smiling at Yuri and I.

"There, all finished."

My hand comes up to my face, hiding my disgust.

"Kill me." I whisper to Yuri.

"Sure, we can die together." He whispers back.

"Ugh…" I shudder, trying to focus clearly on Estelle's face.

Did I ever mention I hate pink?

**Well….I edited this chapter, and this will be the last of my edits for now. Curse my past self for such short chapters!**

**Thank you for reading! (There will be no more disclaimers until otherwise needed, I think we get the drill)**

**From: S.W.K.**


	3. Grassy Fields and Pounding Hooves

**Hello! I'M SO SORRY FOR MY ABSENCE OMG PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I had family problems, technology problems, school problems, best friend problems, random other story ideas and I completely abandoned this for WAY TOO LONG JESUS CHRIST!**

**Anyways, just a notice. Kris, in his real life setting, went through some drama, so to prevent myself getting mauled by any fans who might read this, I am using my own character design now! The only thing being kept is his name, Kris.**

**So….ONWARDS!**

"Ughhhhhh" I moan lazily. I mean come on! We've been walking through this castle forever! (Yes I remember where the room is...shut up…) I mean in the game you could just run for like five seconds and you've entered the next room but NOOOO! They had to make each room freaking huge!

"You okay there?" Yuri asked, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"You know, I expected a situation like this, running for our lives, kind of kidnapping somebody, with danger around every corner, and yet, this is so boring!" I sigh as we walk through another extremely large room. Truthfully, it wasn't THAT boring, I just really don't like this castle. I laugh as Yuri simply rolls his eyes, while Estellise gives me a curious tilt of the head. I avert my eyes quickly. That is WAY too much pink for my tastes.

_Extra: Nickname Experiments_

_Yuri: Hey Tina?_

_Tina: Yeah?_

_Yuri: Back there….you called me Yui...why?_

_Tina: I was trying to get a good mocking nickname, but I don't think that one works...hmmm..._

_*walks away*_

_Yuri: She seems really into that whole nick among scheme of hers..._

_End_

Okay, I'm just say this right now.

We found the entrance.

We made it through the sewers.

Done.

Nothing that happened there must ever be mentioned…I shudder at the memories.

"Never again." I mutter as we walk through the middle quarter. I can feel my idiot of a brother breaking a rib or two from laughing too hard. Luckily I'm pulled out of it when we reach the ramp leading towards the lower quarter, even better, I also missed Leblancs speech.

"First you go like this." Yuri picks up a stone, and I quickly grab one as well.

"Then you go like this!" I shout, chucking the rock at one the tweedles heads...the short one.

"Head shot!" I cheer, giving Yuri a high five, before we bolt down the ramp into the lower quarter.

"Um...Tina?" Estelle watches me curiously as I precariously walk down the few stairs at the bottom of the ramp.

"I hate stairs." I mutter. When I raise my head, I gasp, before my mouth widens in a nostalgic smile. The smell and feel of this place…

"What's up?" Yuri asks, probably noticing my weird face.

"It…" I pause, trying to find the right words.

"It reminds me of home…." I finally answer. Yuri stares at me a little longer, a look I can't identify in his eyes. Finally, he turns away and walks towards the old man whom I forget the name of. Not wanting to intrude too much, I walk over to the street that I know we'll be exiting and sit down quietly. Kris is extremely bored right now, and I can't help but chuckle at the feeling.

"Eh?" I exclaim as I hear a loud shout. Crap! That knights are here again! I stand up quickly, as Yuri and Estelle make their way over. Suddenly, I see the knights getting trampled by lower quarter citizens, and I burst into my cackling laughter. Yuri gives me a grin while he and Estelle jog towards me. Suddenly, I hear the stomping of many pairs of feet behind me, and Yuri and Estelle's faces turn to that of comical horror.

"Holy shit!" I swear as I'm pushed around like a rag doll. I fight my way through the crowd, heading for the exit behind me. More than one elbow collides into my hip, and I almost fall on multiple occasions. Suddenly, someone grabs my hands, shoving a small pouch into its grasp before I'm launched out of the crowd. I gasp for air, looking at Yuri and Estelle, whom look worse for wear, but better than myself. I probably would have gotten away with less injuries if I had revealed myself more obviously! Geez! Stupid me.

"They're gonna miss you a lot aren't they?" I chirp with a grin, placing the small pouch into my pack. Yuri rolls his eyes.

"They're just glad to get rid of me." Yuri holds out a small pouch of gald, his eyes widening.

"Hey I can't take this!" I grab his shoulder gently, giving a shake of my head, causing him to sigh in defeat. I turn forward, a bright grin on my face.

"To the road ahead, Yuri, Estelle!" Yuri grins at me, while Estelle pauses, her face frozen in a curious pose.

Shit! I said Estelle!

"To the road ahead." Yuri agrees. Not noticing my inner panic.

"YURRRIII LOWEELLLLL!" The Knights run towards us, before Repede launches in front of them, tripping them easily, and walking smugly towards us.

"Nice Repede!" Yuri says, giving Repede a pat on the head.

"A dog?" Estelle questions, forgetting about her nickname at the moment. I simply give Repede a thumbs up.

"Now then, let's go!" I hurry them up. Seriously, this is rush time! Finally, after so much time, we've left the city.

"Woah..." I gasp out loud, looking at the fields in front of me.

"I thought you walked through here?" Yuri questions. Shit shit shit shit!

"Um..." I give the fields a scan.

"Not around here...I don't know how far I am from where I was exactly. After all, they kidnapped me while I was sleeping. Speaking of which, I still don't know why they did in the first place..." It was weak, but it would work hopefully. Yuri raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah I wonder..." He mumbles quietly, though with my sensitive hearing, I catch it. Well shit...

I'm swearing too much lately.

"Let's go!" I chirp dancing in circles.

"Which way? Right or left?" Yuri just gives me an amused look, before pointing left. I laugh, doing a roll in the grass towards said direction.

_Skit: Nicknames and getting to know more_

_Estelle: Estelle...Estelle...Estelle..._

_Tina: Wow...it's like she's never had a nickname before_

_Yuri: Yeah...you give a lot of people nicknames?_

_Tina: Not usually, her name was just a bit too long for my tastes. Where I'm from we usually don't have extremely long names, and those who do almost never use them._

_Yuri: Sounds like the people were pretty relaxed in your village._

_Tina: *looks down sadly* for most things yes..._

_Tina: Hey Estelle! Don't fall behind!_

_Estelle: Coming! _

_Yuri: ...she's hiding something..._

_Repede: *whine*_

_End_

_Skit: Dogs make good friends_

_Repede: Woof!_

_Tina: Well hello! You're Repede right?_

_Repede: Arf!_

_Tina: Hah! What a good dog you are! Saving us from those knights! Hey, how about this? If you ever need me to sharpen your knife I'll be more than glad to help!_

_Repede: Woof! Woof woof! *rubs against Tina's leg*_

_Yuri: Wow...Repede has never acted like this since he was a puppy...you just keep getting stranger and stranger…_

_End _

Deidon Hold was much bigger than what was shown. It was quite the place, and while Yuri and Estelle adventure onwards, I quickly peek into a few shops, buying items we may need in the future, as well as bartering fiercely along the way. Before I know it, I've once again lost track of time, and the alarm starts to sound. I quickly dash towards, the front gate, scanning the outside stragglers as the hooves beasts get closer. Wait! That pregnant woman...she wasn't there in the game! Shit! No! I sprint as fast I can, ignoring ye others calls. My legs burn and I can feel myself slowing down. NO! FASTER! I scream in my head. A gold glow of aer surrounds them, and I whisper to myself.

"Spirit of the Cheetah!" I dash by Yuri, skidding past the woman and picking her up, before continuing my journey back. I make it just in time, before my legs give out, and I collapse. I drop the woman carefully onto the ground, before I start coughing, breathing faster than I ever have before.

"Tina!" Estelle calls running up to me. I simply shake my head, pushing her back before she tries to heal me. The pain is horrible, and I crouch there shaking, barely noticing the pregnant woman from earlier looking at me worriedly from her husband's embrace.

"Get on." Yuri's voice is soft, and I blearily make out his back between my coughing fits. I crawl forwards, clutching tightly to his back.

"Heh *cough* side effects…" I whisper into his ear. He carries me away from the front gate, reassuring the woman I saved that I would be fine, before laying me down on his lap. I fight the heat in my cheeks, breathing in the scent of his hair deeply. It only takes two minutes before I can finally breathe normally again, my lungs no longer screaming for oxygen. I sit up, blushing lightly as Yuri's gives me a worried look, before getting off his lap.

"Sorry." I mumble, glancing away. He stands up, and a hand comes into my vision. I look up to see him smirking, his grey eyes glinting as he waits patiently. I grab his hand, letting him pull me up, before jumping high into the air.

"Let's find another way!" I exclaim. Yuri raises an eyebrow at my enthusiasm and seemingly quick recovery, before shaking his head.

"Is there another way?" Estelle questions. I grin widely. My legs start to shake again, but I will them to stop. I don't need them worrying about me too much.

"With this happening as often as I've heard, there is bound to be another way through! So, we simply need to find the right people to ask!" I cheer bouncing on my feet lightly, ignoring my aching knees. I look around, before spotting that redheaded woman, who was the leader of the...merchant's guild? Yeah, I think so…

"It really is dangerous outside of the barrier with so many ferocious monsters around." Estelle muses. I turn to face the two, leaning slightly against one of the pillars near the gate to rest my legs.

"This place could definitely use a barrier against a pack that big." Yuri agrees. I shrug in response. This place is probably the most adapted to attacks, but even so, why is there one placed on Ehmead Hill and not here?

"Couldn't they install a barrier blastia here?" Wait….I thought Estelle knew these type of things, I mean, it had to be written down in even basic books about blastia, stating their rarity?! You know what….I'm done questioning things, let's just go along with it…

"No, barriers are a precious resource." Yuri says, I can feel myself zoning out, as per usual, and force myself to focus on the conversation. Kris is still worried, as iI can't keep the vibes of pain away from him, but there is little I can do to comfort him, being the worrywart he is.

"You're right….and with the current technology we can't make anymore…" Estelle says in the background.

"Hey Tina, what do you think?" I look up at the two, pulling up the sleeves of my hoodie as I do so, and adjusting my wraps absentmindedly.

"Well, many of the history of the creation of the blastia has disappeared...but...there was probably a reason for that…" I mumble the last part quietly. Yuri gives me a questioning glance, and I can tell he heard me.

"Even if we had all that information, I can't see the Empire using it for the common good." I nod in agreement, glancing at Estelle, who seems mildly ashamed.

"You three there! I'd like to have a word with you!" A knight calls. I moan quietly, as I put full pressure back onto my legs. Repede leans against me, giving me some silent support. Before I can let out a snappy comeback, an annoying voice speaks up loudly, causing me to groan in my mind.

"So why can't you let us through? I'll beat those monsters to a pulp with these fists of mine!" Not the Hunting Blades! Please no! I've never liked them.

"How many times do I have to say it? These monsters are tougher than you think!" It's at this point I start to feel bad for the knight arguing with them. I gaze at them examining them closely while I have the chance for future reference. The leader has a built that obviously isn't made for speed, while the hooded guy as a multitude of loose placing practically made for a fighter like myself to take advantage of. I lock eyes with the leader as his subordinate continues to argue, before letting out a sigh, and glancing at Yuri and Estelle, who are watching the exchange curiously. The leader guy takes that large blade of his off his back, pointing it in the air, causing the knight to crouch in a defensive stance.

"S-stop!" The poor guy yells, and I can't help but feel sorry for him. The leader guy swings his giant sword downwards, slamming it into the ground. (Seriously is he compensating for something or what? Geez!) I ignore the rest of the arguments, sighing in relief as the knight turns away from us.

"Now then...who's in for looking for another way?" I break the silence. Estelle simply nods, while Yuri sighs at the sight of the two sides fighting. As we walk off, I sigh, leaning against Repede more, who doesn't seem to mind.

_Skit: Quite a Scene_

_Estelle: We made quite a scene didn't we? I was worried once those knights noticed us…_

_Yuri: I told you we couldn't stand out._

_Tina: Oh stop pouting Yuri! All three of us went and helped out!_

_Estelle: You were the one who just jumped out Yuri…_

_Yuri: I can't just look away when monsters are attacking someone right in front of me, right?_

_Estelle: Heh heh._

_Yuri: What's so funny?_

_Estelle: I'm sorry, that sounded just like the way Flynn described you, that's all._

_Tina: You and Flynn seemed pretty close huh?_

_Yuri: I guess…_

_Estelle: He often said that you could never turn a blind eye when someone near you was suffering._

_Tina: Sketchy and a softy, wow Yuri, you're certainly an interesting guy!_

_Yuri: Stop calling me sketchy! Also, next time you see Flynn Estelle, tell him I said he was the same way._

_Estelle: I'll do that._

_End_

"You there, how about coming to work for me? You'll be paid of course." I look lazily at the redhead, who is giving Yuri an interested look, she turns to me...

"You're welcome to as well." She holds up the bag of cash tauntingly. I turn my head away. Money had never been something I would budge on, and that certainly won't change.

"Watch your manners around the president. Well, whadda ya say?" Her companion asks. I look back at them, giving a small smile.

"So, it's not bad manners to try and buy someone without introducing yourself?" I grin at the casual sass of one Yuri Lowell.

"Watch your mouth!" The guy beside her threatens.

"You're just as charming as I expected, I'm Kaufman, of the merchant's guild Fortunes Market." She says, and I grin widely, finally! The name of her and her guild!

"We handle everything, from trade to distribution." She goes on.

"Guilds huh…" Yuri mumbles.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm not much of a salesperson, I can haggle, but I don't think I'm what you would want." I muse, bending down to pull up my pants, making them baggy capris. Suddenly, the ground shakes as the monsters continue to try and trample through. Repede presses up closer, supporting me even more as I try to stay standing. The others continue to talk, and I lean against the wagon behind me, Repede whimpering quietly at my feet. I definitely won't be doing that again unless it's an emergency…

"Tina! I got us a way through!" Yuri calls. I walk up beside him, noticing a missing pinkette and dog.

"Where to?" I ask, grinning widely.

"Quoi woods. It's to the west of here, and apparently it holds some surprises." I grin widely, I love forests, and no monsters will stop me from enjoying myself!

"I can't wait! I love forests! Climb the trees, smell the flowers, lots of fun!" I cheer, whilst Yuri gives me a growingly familiar amused look.

"There doesn't seem to be much that makes you unhappy huh?" He asks. I frown slightly, looking to my feet.

"I learnt a long time ago...that life is too short to not enjoy yourself to the fullest...so many people wallow in their troubles and problems, that they forget how to be happy…"I look up at the sky, the clouds floating by lazily.

"Huh...I never thought of it like that…" Yuri muses. I give him a smile, before letting out a gasp as my left leg gives out on me! Warm arms wrap around me before I land, and I lean against Yuri, my face heating up.

"I knew that was still bugging you." He accuses. I simply laugh.

"Come on, let's get Estelle to heal you up before we head out." I smile as we limp down to where Estelle is sitting with Repede. I brush Yuri's hair out of my face, getting a whiff of his shampoo.

"Hey Yuri?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"...what type of shampoo do you use?" He pauses.

"Tina?"

"...yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Yes sir!" I cheekily reply.

**DONE FINALLY! Anyways, I had some fun with this chapter! I'm really excited to do the Quoi woods area! Also, next chapter I'll introduce Kris, though I won't reveal a lot. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review if you want, but please no flames, those belong to Rita!**

**From: S.W.K.**


	4. Haunted Forests and Dreams

**Sup! Next chapter here we go! So excited to write this! This may not be as joyful as the other chapter, but I'm going to attempt to have a balance of both! Anyways, let's get rolling!**

I chuckle as I run through the grass. We had been fighting monsters left and right, and personally, I was enjoying myself! My martial arts classes always were amazing for venting, and this was heaven to the emotions!

_Skit: Watch and Learn_

_Estelle: You look very good swinging a sword Yuri!_

_Yuri: You're not bad yourself Estelle._

_Estelle: Really? My sword master used to scold me terribly…_

_Yuri: Well I have to admit I'd be surprised if you looked TOO natural._

_Tina: Yeah, you seem too kind hearted to carry a weapon with absolute comfort._

_Estelle: I really don't like fighting…. I don't like hurting people…_

_Yuri: How ladylike of you._

_Tina: Yuri, you're definition of lady is probably very different from hers._

_Estelle: But if I don't fight, I'll end up hurt myself right?_

_Tina: ...and I'm being ignored…._

_Yuri: Yeah, that's pretty much how it works._

_Estelle: I wish I could enjoy fighting like Tina and you do Yuri..._

_Yuri: You think I enjoy this?_

_Tina: Yeah, I'll admit that I do enjoy our previous fights so far..._

_Estelle: Yuri don't you? I mean the way your eyes shine...that only happens when you're fighting._

_Tina: *mumbles* that...didn't sound creepy at all…._

_Yuri: O-oh, really? …..Wow. You're pretty observant._

_Tina: Awww Yuri's blushing!_

_Yuri: Tina!_

_Estelle: Also you Tina, you seem to have the time of your life when fighting!_

_Tina: It's been a stress reliever of mine since I was little, so this is definitely fun for me!_

_Yuri: Well, you seem to enjoy it more than myself._

_Tina: Most likely, but it's just in my nature! Oh! Repede!_

_*walks away*_

_Yuri: *mumbles* A stress reliever huh…_

_End_

_Skit: Feminine?_

_Estelle: Hey Tina…_

_Tina: Yeah?_

_Estelle: Why do you dress like you do?_

_Tina: Why are you interested?_

_Estelle: Well, I've never seen a girl dress like how you do…it doesn't seem very...feminine._

_Tina: It's mostly because of the environment I lived in._

_Estelle: Really? _

_Tina: Yep, I lived in a really cold place, so I never bothered dressing in fancier clothing, because I was too cold to bother._

_Estelle: I see...what about your hair?_

_Tina: Well, in my type of fighting style, my hair would just get in the way, and give my opponent something to grab, so I keep in short._

_Estelle: I see, that makes sense!_

_Tina: ...It's mostly because my hair is a pain to brush though..._

_Estelle: Oh….I liked your first reason better._

_End_

I laugh as we enter Quoi Woods. I love the smell of a forest, and this one is just as refreshing!

"A forest in a place like this can only mean…..the Quoi Woods…?" Estelle questions. I stretch my recently healed legs leisurely.

"Bingo, you're just full of information aren't yeah?" Yuri drawls good-naturedly. I giggle, petting Repede while I scan the forest, examining the paths.

"I read in a book once, that a curse will fall upon anyone who enters the woods." Estelle's voice shakes in fear. I snort loudly.

"A curse? Seriously? They could've come up with something better than that…" I mumble, picking a small white flower and taking a small sniff. I love the smell of pollen. Especially since it gives Kris the sniffles, which are the most adorable thing ever. I giggle as I feel him sneeze through our connection.

"Ah, so that must be the 'surprise'." Yuri says. I proceed to let Repede sniff the flower, causing him to give a sharp sneeze. I laugh, throwing the flower into the bushes. Following Yuri as he walks into the forest, I glance back at Estelle, whom is waiting at the entrance, a scared look on her face.

"Hurry up Estelle! Flynn is waiting!" I call, obvious baiting I know, but we need to get moving!

"...I know. Okay, let's go!" Her voice wavers slightly, but I admire her determination.

_Skit: New Hobby, Taunting Estellise_

_Estelle: Will this forest really get us to the other side of the hold?_

_Tina: Let's hope so, otherwise we might get eaten by the curse._

_Estelle: Really?!_

_Tina: I don't know….what does this 'mysterious curse' do?_

_Estelle: Um…._

_Tina: An evil demon stealing your soul? Falling asleep only to never wake up? The ghosts of the dead coming to steal you away?_

_Estelle: Eek!_

_Tina: Sorry Estelle, but I haven't done that in a loooooong time._

_Yuri: You seemed to enjoy that._

_Tina: Oh believe me, I did!_

_Estelle: Meanie…_

_End_

I definitely climbed quite a few trees while in those woods, mostly because of those damn axebeaks! Despite being birds, their worst weakness happens to be going above them, since they have as much talent as chicken when it comes to flight. Their constant kicking when they do flap in the air is freaking annoying though! I still kicked their asses. Stupid birds... I seem to have come to a halt on new artes at the moment, but I don't really mind. I would rather discover them in a safer environment, in case they have other effects, like my 'Sprint of the Cheetah', not exactly the nicest experience…. Speaking of artes, I finally figured out where my blastia was! It's a simple small red gem in a clasp holding one of my belts onto my hoodie, I didn't see it before, the sneaky thing!

Eventually we enter a clearing, which I hope is the one that we rest for the night in. I giggle as Estelle starts to panic about the curse. Yuri gives me a look, telling me not to scare her again, so I hang in the back as they chat, slowly making my way to the broken blastia.

"A blastia? What's it doing in a place like this?" Yuri asks as he comes up beside me. I shrug.

"Perhaps this used to be the original way of getting to Halure before it broke." I suggest. It would make sense, because it would be safely out of the way of the lord of the plain's path.

"Let's take a break." Yuri says, turning to Estelle, who hangs in the background, mild fear in her eyes.

"I-I'm alright." Estelle tries to assure us, walking towards us. She turns, and I tense a bit. I feel guilty for letting her touch the core, but from what I remember, it's mildly important.

"Huh? What's this?" Estelle walks towards the core, and light, or aer from what I remember, erupts from the core. I crouch forwards, catching Estelle before she hits the ground, while squinting my eyes to not get blinded.

"Estelle!" Yuri shouts, crouching beside me.

"She's okay, just unconscious." I assure him. I carry her over to an area with softer grass, before laying her down gently, and sitting down beside her. Yuri sits down beside me silently, and I sigh. After a few minutes of silence, I grab some paper out of my bag, and start to fold a few origami.

"You fold origami?" I nod, folding the last fold of a simple paper crane. I hold it up before passing it to Yuri.

"Here!" He takes it, and I force the heat in my cheeks down as our fingers brush. His hands are rough but...gentle. He holds it delicately, and I can't help but notice how the grey paper matches his eyes...dammit Tina! Get a hold of yourself!

"You're good at that." He says as I carefully fold a flower, while desperately trying to fight down a blush as I can feel his gaze on me. I sigh in relief when I finish, looking down at the small pink origami flower.

"I'll give this to Estelle later." I announce, placing it carefully in my bag. My stomach growls, and this time I can't fight down a blush.

"Hungry?" Yuri asked, his voice teasing. I simply turn away, using my hands to try and rub the blush out of my cheeks. Stupid sexy voic- no! Bad Tina! I peek to my side to see Yuri's reaction, only to see him give me an amused smile.

Yuri walks over to a nearby tree, grabbing a few of those Apple-like fruits before sitting back down beside me. He passes me one, and I take a large bite. (After I finish blushing via another brush of the hands.)Damn! I don't do bitter! I frown, before taking another bite, and making what I would assume to be a comically grossed out face, if Yuri's snort is anything to go by. I throw the stinking apple thing away, taking mild satisfaction at it explodes against a tree trunk. Repede had taken my place as a pillow for Estelle, letting me stretch my legs out on the grass. I hum happily, letting the grass tickle my toes, which are barely dented from the past few days of traveling on difficult terrain.

"Damn that's bitter." Yuri scowls, and I hum my agreement. At this point, Estelle finally wakes up, causing me to smile.

"You alright?" Yuri asks. I watch as she glances around.

"Ooh...my head feels a little….I'll be fine." She says, her voice wavering slightly. I sigh, forcing her to sit down again. Standing never helps a headache.

"What happened to me?" Estelle asks, gazing at us. How would one forget about something like that?

"You just fell over all of a sudden, don't you remember?" Yuri asks. I give Repede a scratch behind the ears in thanks for his pillow duties, he gives me a lick on the hand in return.

"Perhaps it was the aer that made me dizzy." Estelle says, and I hum my agreement.

"Aer. That's sort of like the fuel that powers the blastia right?"

"Well you could put it like that…" I say, scratching my head as I try to think of the exact definition.

"I heard that even though we can't see it, it's scattered throughout the atmosphere." Yuri states. Yeah! Isn't it essentially the same thing as mana? Hmm…..

"I read once that dense aer can have negative effects on people." Estelle brings her finger to her chin as she thinks.

"Hmm. Maybe that's what started the rumor of the curse." Yuri mused, his finger playing with the rope holding his sword.

"Most likely, and if it caused anything worse than this, then it's no surprise why this place was labeled 'cursed'" I say. The monsters, while I wasn't used to fighting them, were easy enough. Anyone of mediocre skill and basic survival instincts could manage, so this was the best, if not only, explanation….other than the bad ass monster behind the thick undergrowth in the back of the forest….but that's for another day! I frown as Estelle attempts to stand, wobbling slightly.

"Hey you only just woke up, you should rest a bit more." Yuri says, and reluctantly, she sits back down. She really shouldn't be moving around in her state, her eyes aren't completely focused, and I can tell she still has that headache of hers. I giggle slightly as the two argue...well Yuri convincing Estelle, and I walk away from the two to grab some firewood, already knowing the result of the conversation. Soon enough, we're sitting at the fire, the others chatting about Flynn, while I draw quietly. One of the first things I bought in Deidon Hold was a notebook, pencil, and an eraser. Sketching is a hobby of mine, and while the two chat, I draw them quietly. I let a grin play on my face as I finally draw their hands correctly. CURSE YOU HANDS! Finally, Yuri finishes making us a simple dinner. I hum in delight as I stare at the sandwiches.

"Thanks!" I say, giving him a smile and taking the egg sandwich offered.

"It's nothing special." Yuri waves it off. I smile as Yuri shows Estelle the basic of cooking. Truthfully, I've never felt this happy when apart from my brother...I just feel...welcome I guess. Something that's really new in my life. I look down at my finished sketch, petting Repede distractedly as my eyes scan the drawing for flaws. I finish my sandwich quickly and can't help but grin at the delicious taste!

"Tina?" I look up at the sound of Estelle calling my name.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why are you traveling with us?" I frown, staring at the fire.

"I'm looking for my brother…" I say.

"Oh? Why?" She asks. I smile at her naivety.

"He went missing, and he's all I have left, so it's pretty much my job to find him!" I say somewhat cheerfully. Truthfully he was all I ever had. While I heard a story or two about my parents, as apparently they helped out at the orphanage, I barely remember them at all. Only blurred images. After all, they died when we were around three or four, from what we were told.

"Oh….sorry..." She apologizes, her face growing gloomy. I shake my head, she doesn't need to apologize.

"Don't worry about it, it's good to speak about him sometimes, brings up some good memories." I reassure her, what I said was true though. While I was deeply concerned, I know for a fact that Kris can care for himself if need be. While I was definitely more independent, he was no little prince. More like an extremely sassy, bad ass princess. I close my notebook, placing it back in my bag, and letting out a loud yawn.

"We should sleep." Yuri announces, glancing up at the evening sky. I grin, and nod in agreement, laying my head down on my bag as Yuri quickly puts out the fire. I send Kris a signal of contentment, as my eyes slowly slide shut.

_A voice sighs, the sound slowly spreading through the cold room. _

_"Finally asleep huh?" A soft voice murmurs, pulling their knees to their chin._

_"I know you'll find me...just...please don't die on me..." The voice chokes out, gazing at the ceiling. The figure shivers, the cold dampness of the air sinking into their skin. The figure looks up at me, eyes filled with unshed tears. Golden eyes._

_"...Tina..." _

"Ah!" I gasp, sitting up quickly. I pant heavily, shaking off that damp coldness clinging to me. I look around at the others, who are still sleeping, to the morning sky.

"Kris…" I whisper. I look around quickly, relaxing slightly when I realize I'm back in Quoi Woods.

What was that? Was that….no, our connection has never done that before! So why?….Okay Tina….calm down, if that was real, that means that Kris is here, if the old fashioned cell is anything to go by, so you can still find him and save him! I run a hand through my hair, frowning as it gets caught. I rarely get knots, and if I do, it usually means it's been a few too many days since I last required a shower. I turn to Repede, noticing that he's awake, due to his other eye still being open. He must do that a lot...

"I'm gonna go wash up okay?" I say, working up a small smile. He gives a nod, watching me as I grab my bag. The undergrowth feels soft on my feet, and I take the time to calm down, letting a smile form on my face. I should enjoy myself, because I know that if I sink too far into my own darkness, I won't make it back out.

I swiftly take off my clothes, looking at my pale skin, which, due to being so damn delicate, was littered with small bruises. I rub the area right under my breasts, where I know a dark red scar is, as well as on my back. I hesitantly step into the water, noting it's not nearly as cold or dirty as I thought it would be. I wash out the grime from my hair and body, purring as I do so. What?! I can't help it! It feels pretty damn nice! Slowly, as the sun rises, so do my spirits, and soon enough I'm humming cheerfully as I clean out the last of the knots in my hair. I gaze down at the water, and pause, shocked.

"What?" I exclaim quietly, crouching down to stare closer. My eyes….they're gold! A sharp yellow, bordering on gold! My eyes are supposed to be a golden brown! I brush away my bright orange locks to get a better look.

"Wait…" I think back to my...dream? Vision?

"Does that mean that Kris also…." Maybe. If my eyes have changed, then there's a high chance that his have too. We both had the same eye color after all, one of the few facial features we share.

After another few minutes of making sure all is normal, and no other weird changes have happened, I dry myself off in the warm morning sun, before pulling my clothes back on and frowning at the thick fabric.

"Damn, I need different clothes! These are too warm, and I'm just asking to be grabbed by the sleeve and thrown into a wall." I mumble, grabbing my bag and heading back to the clearing, where Estelle and Yuri are packing up.

"Hey! Sorry, I was washing up!" I cheer, skipping up to them. I adjust the bag on my back.

"Let's get moving." Yuri says, and I pause. Are his cheeks pink? Nah...Must just be my imagination...

I groan as I punch one of those red flower guys, narrowly avoiding the red pollen cloud. I axe kick it into the ground, and sigh in relief as it dies. I may be trained in fighting, but I've never had to fight constantly for long periods of time, making this harder than it should be. I pull up my sleeves for the billionth time. Yeah, I'm gonna need some better clothes, these are more suited for the arctic! Finally, as we're walking, Repede starts to growl. Thank god! This means two things. One, Karol and two, we're near the end! Yes! This forest is huge, and I love it, but my hate for axebeaks and those flower guys are unrivaled.

"Hmm?" Yuri questions, and we turn to the rustling bushes.

"P-prepare to die Eggbear!" A voice stutters, and I have to hold in my laughter. Through most of the game I found Karol annoying, but eventually I started to find him pretty adorable!

"Whoa!" He yells in a panic, as the momentum of his large sword prevents him from stopping the, obviously nauseating spinning. We watch, myself trying to hold in my laughter, as I watch him continuing to swing around. It was hilarious okay?! Finally, Yuri uses his sword to stop the spinning, and he falls over, coming face-to-face with Repede. He screams, and I seriously want to bust a gut laughing!

"Oh my gosh, s-s-somebody h-h-help me-! Aaaah!"

"Is this kid for real?" Yuri asks, holding back an amused snort. I chuckle slightly.

"It appears so, he's got more strength than most people around his age….though seems pretty cowardly..." Yuri sighs, but his a grin is still creeping up on his face.

"It's alright now." Estelle tries to soothe Karol, who looks at her with a stunned look.

"Huh? The monster turned into a girl?" I finally burst out laughing! Finally, I rub the tears out of my eyes, Yuri is giving me an amused look, while both Karol and Estelle stare at me, their eyes wide.

"S-sorry! It was-" I gasp lightly, letting out another giggle.

"That was adorable!" I grin widely, finally getting a hold of myself. I love laughing, and I haven't laughed that hard in too long!

"Oh brother….this should be interesting." Yuri offhandedly remarks. I grin in agreement. Karol stands up, a light blush on his face.

"I'm Karol Capel!" He says. "I'm a member of the Hunting Blades guild. We travel the globe in search of the toughest monsters." I grin widely, pinching his cheeks lightly.

"You are adorable." I state, turning to Yuri.

"Can we keep him?" Estelle looks at me, comical horror on her face.

"We can't just kidnap him Tina!" Estelle protests. Karol lets out a panicked yelp, taking a step back as I release him.

"I'm just joking around, he's already with a guild anyways!" I wave off their panic, snickering quietly, when Kris disappeared, my mood went from mischievous and happy, to calm and quiet. Yet somehow...I've recovered a bit.

"I'm Yuri, this is Estelle, you've already met Repede, and the one who attacked you is Tina." I snort, crossing my arms and looking away. I did not attack him! That was a sign of love!

"Anyways, nice to meet you." Yuri turns, and proceeds to leave. I follow without much hesitation, before turning back to Karol, who seems to be hesitating in tagging along, like before.

"You can come with us if you're heading back to Halure you know. That's where we're heading!" I give him a smile, which he returns nervously.

"W-well, I'm searching for a monster called an Eggbear. Have you guys seen any?" I shake my head, Estelle and Yuri responding the same.

"Man….I wonder if I should head back to town…" I sigh, giving him a pat on the head.

"Don't worry about it, as I said, you can come with us. After all, having a member of the Hunting Blades helping us out could come with some benefits no?" I direct the last part towards Yuri, who sighs, and nods.

"Yeah! I can help a lot! See that, I even got my own blastia!" He presents his blastia on his bag proudly. I smirk inwardly as I see his eyes skim over us, widening as he notices all three of us also bear blastia.

"O-oh? You three have your own blastia too? W-well, take a look at this!" He holds a red book proudly in the air, and I take it out of his hands, causing him to yelp. Both Yuri and Estelle peek over my shoulders.

"It has information about monsters. Hm? After a certain point, all the pages are blank." Estelle points out. I scan over what he has so far. His descriptions despite being childish, are pretty good at explaining the basic strengths and weaknesses.

"It's well written though." I point out, tapping at the area where most of the mildly impressive descriptions are. Yuri hums in agreement as he scans them. I frown as my eyes read each word slowly. While both Kris and I are fluent speakers of Japanese, Kris is more advanced in the literature, while I'm more advanced verbally. Meaning, most of the words I can barely understand. I'm at a low-moderate level, meaning that Karol's vocabulary is actually pretty impressive for his age. Hmm….he's more impressive than what it showed in the game play.

"I'm gonna fill the rest up with lots of monsters later!" Karol announces, his voice filled with pride. I give him a mildly sympathetic look. I react the same way, as I'm also not used to compliments, though Kris doesn't really count! I grab a pencil from my bag, and start to write in a very….colorful description for the axebeaks….

"Hey! Who said you could just write in there?" Inwardly thanking Karol for distracting the others, I quickly write down the last few details, annoyed at my severely limited grammar.

"I could help you with drawing the monsters in here that we encounter!" I say cheerfully, before glancing down at the broken sword.

"For being a star member, your sword really needs some repairs." Yuri states flatly. Karol blushes.

"W-well I needed to give myself some sort of handicap, or it wouldn't be fair!" As Karol goes to pick up said weapon, I tuck the book in my bag, for later.

"Hey, that's actually not bad…" Karol says to himself. I sigh, walking behind Yuri as we walk past the distracted kid.

"Yo! Do you guys even know where you're going? Halure's to the north one you get out of the woods." Karol calls after us.

"Come on guys! Wait for me!" I chuckle as Karol runs up beside us.

This adventure was getting better and better!

**Sup! I gave a hint about her brother OMG! Heh, but I'm not going to reveal him for a while yet. I'm planning on introducing him before Judith though, so you won't have to wait very long! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review, favourite or whatever you want!**

**Just please, no flaming, that's just mean!**

**From: S.W.K.**


	5. THESE DAMN SLEEVES!

**Time for another chapter! I've been thinking carefully on new artes for Tina, if you have any ideas for me, PM or review me!**

I sigh as I sit precariously in the branches of one of those tree monsters, taking a breather quickly. We had fought a lot, and due to the night before being a repeat of the strange dream from before, I didn't get much sleep, as I spent the whole night trying to figure it out. Once I've caught my breath, I raise my fist, a now familiar red glow forming around it.

"Fire Fist!" I yell, slamming my fist into the center of the trunk, grinning as the monster sets on fire, its trunk splitting in the middle. I back flip off it, stumbling backwards, only for two arms to grab me from behind gently, stopping me from falling over. I look up at a pair of mesmerizing grey eyes, grinning widely, already knowing my cheeks are most likely pink, and not just from exertion.

"Thanks Yuri!" I giggle, spinning around him and kicking a monster trying to jump Yuri from behind.

"Right back at you Tina!" He says, slashing at one of those charging hooved monsters. Finally, we finish the last of the monsters, causing me to let out a sigh of relief. I love fighting, but I'm not stupid! I'm exhausted! Repede, as usual, seems to sense my emotions, and leans against my leg gently, causing me to grin at him, petting him gently. I examine Halure as we walk up to the entrance. It's poorly defensed, and I can practically see the stains of blood in the dirt.

"Halure, the 'City of Blossoms' "Estelle recites. Karol nods excitedly.

"Yeah, that's right." He says. I look at the buildings, and the many injured people.

"Don't they have a barrier here?" Yuri asks, and I glance up at the sky.

"Halure has a tree barrier correct?" I question, turning to Karol, whom nods.

"Tree barrier?" Yuri asks.

"'Some blastia fuse to plant life, gain organic qualities and evolve. The tree barrier of Halure is a prime example of this.' I read that in a book." Estelle recites. I giggle at her recitation.

"Well thanks professor. So what's happened to this famous barrier?" Yuri asks, I frown while staring at the wilting tree. Yuri walks up the hill, getting a closer look at the injured town's people. I walk up beside him, observing the injured civilians.

"Those look pretty serious." I mumble, Yuri nods in agreement.

"It doesn't seem to be doing its job right now." Yuri points out, louder this time, as Karol seems distracted...

"Every year, just before the blossoms are in full bloom, the barrier weakens for a while. It's just that time of year right now, and the monsters took the opportunity to attack." Karol says, and I sigh as I feel the last traces of giddiness from fighting disappear as I take in the injuries. To actually see the effects hidden by the gameplay...I wrap my arms around myself gently, taking notice in Repede pressing against my leg harder.

"Is that when the barrier went down?" Yuri asks.

"Yeah, the monsters are taken care of, but the tree is slowly starting to decay." I watch as a girl runs by and Karol stops his explanation there, running after her. Probably thinks it's that girl from the Hunting Blades…

"So I guess you'll be looking for Flynn now huh Estelle?" Yuri says, only to be ignored as said girl runs over to the injured.

"Doesn't she know we have to keep a low profile? What happened to looking for Flynn?" Yuri asks himself. I chuckle.

"She's similar to you in a way, she can't not help a person who's in need." I smile as Yuri stares at me, surprised.

"I guess so." He snorts. "What about you?"

"I…" I pause, dark memories surfacing in my head. "I couldn't help someone once or twice...and I deeply regret it." Is all I say, my voice quiet, although I can tell he hears me. I shake my head, forcing a small smile on my face, before leisurely walking towards where Estelle is healing everybody. I try to ignore the few prone bodies in the crowd, and wait on the edge, watching Estelle as she heals.

"How can we ever thank you?" An elderly man, who I think is the mayor, asks, bowing to Estelle.

"No, really, think nothing of it." Estelle insists. I smile more sincerely at the sight. I've rarely met someone as pure as Estelle, it's a nice feeling.

"What a noble young lady, I wish the Imperial Knights could follow your example." I snort at the thought. The Imperial Knights can't seem to do many things right, with the exception of Flynn once or twice.

"Not a chance! The knights refuse to lift a finger to protect us from monsters!" A villager says angrily, I growl quietly. Sure, the guilds might be slightly more barbaric, but at least they have a heart!

"Well, I guess the empire couldn't care less about what happens to us here!" The old man says, and I have to wonder, why? Isn't Halure a common pit stop for deliveries if it's so close to Deidon Hold? I sigh again, forcing myself to stop listening so I can calm down. I don't get angry easily, but something like this is definitely a soft spot for me! I open my eyes as Yuri walks up beside me. Apparently, they had finally changed the topic to Flynn.

"A knight on a pilgrimage…" Estelle wonders aloud.

"Seems like the guy we're looking for. " I muse aloud. Yuri nods.

"Was this knight named Flynn by any chance?" Yuri questions.

"Yes, his name was Flynn Scifo." I let a grin spread onto my face.

"Is he still in the city?!" Estelle questions frantically. Despite already knowing where said knight was, I drag my eyes across the many buildings. I spot a clothing store, and smile at that small victory. I'll have to drop by sooner than later!

"Tina! Would you like to come look at the tree with us?" Estelle asks, snapping me out of my search. I glance back at the store, before giving a slow nod.

_Skit: Who is this Karol kid?_

_Yuri: This Karol guy is kind of weird._

_Tina: I guess..._

_Estelle: He does seem a bit restless, but that doesn't make him a bad person._

_Yuri: He doesn't seem evil, but I'll bet he's got some weird thoughts going on in his head._

_Estelle: You're only saying that because you can see some of yourself in him._

_Yuri: You think the two of us are alike?!_

_Tina: Yeah, I can see where Estelle's coming from._

_Estelle: Yes, it's like you have genuine emotions, but your pride won't let you show them._

_Tina: Yeah, you both seem pretty into that weird pride thing….*sigh* boys…_

_Estelle: I'm not too into that pride stuff either, Flynn does it often as well though..._

_Tina: Either way, I think it's a redeeming quality, so I can't help but like the kid….he's also pretty entertaining._

_Yuri: Huh…_

_Estelle: Did we upset you?_

_Yuri: Nah, I'm just surprised, most people don't have that good of insight for people they just met, is all._

_Estelle: Hey!_

_Tina: Here we go again…_

_End of Skit_

"Hey guys." I say, looking over at Karol, who has a solemn face, standing on the bridge by the shop. We walk up the bridge and I catch the gist of his mumblings. Apparently, his guild left him here, and that girl he was chasing was the wrong person. Estelle asks what is wrong, but he just keeps mumbling to himself, curling up into a ball.

"Just leave him be. He's going through the teenage angst faze. That mixed with whatever happened is bound to give this as a result." I say, turning to walk back towards the tree.

"Yeah! We got weapons now! We're gonna beat those monsters!" A kid yells. Three boys stand huddled, holding wooden training swords. I frown, dread welling up inside me.

"The mayor's gonna let us fight now!" Another one cheers.

"Let's beat up those monsters, just like Flynn!" The last one encourages the others. They run off, and I sigh.

"Even those kids are trying to fight...I hope the barrier is restored soon." Estelle says, her tone concerned.

"No kid should have to fight…" I mumble, squinting my eyes as memories rise from the dark depths of my mind. Yuri just nods in agreement.

Finally, we reach the base of the tree, and I gape, restraining the urge to climb the monstrous height.

"It's huge up close." Yuri says, his eyes widening slightly. I hum in agreement.

"The tree's flowers should bloom any day now." Estelle stats, and I examine the buds closely.

"Yeah, I wish I could see it in bloom." Yuri says, I turn to him, a teasing grin on my face.

"Oh~ Yuri does have a feminine side!" I tease. He turns away with a scoff, but I could almost swear his cheeks were pink! Estelle giggles beside me.

"This seems like an ideal place for getting married, or proposing." I muse.

"Do you want to get married Tina?" I smile wistfully.

"I don't really care actually. If my partner doesn't mind, I would, but it seems more sentimental than anything else. It doesn't hold that same...meaning for me as it does for others." I say. I've never wanted to, mostly because the only family who would attend would be Kris and Aunt, and just seeing that would remind us how alone we really are…

"Tina?" Estelle questions, leaning into my field of vision. I place a sheepish smile on my face, scratching my head.

"Sorry, I zone out a lot…" I mumble. "What were you guys on about?" I question, Estelle seems to brush it off, but I can feel Yuri's eyes on me, and make a point of keeping my own on the pinkette.

"Well, the tree is obviously sick, something monsters wouldn't be able to do, so we're trying to figure out a way to heal it." Yuri explains, and I reluctantly meet his eyes, and barely stop myself from flinching at his worried gaze. He shouldn't worry about me! I let out a thoughtful hum, before staring up at the tree intently. We never truly figure out what's wrong with the tree do we?

"What are you three doing up here?" The mayor asks, walking toward us, I silently thank him for turning Yuri's gaze away from me. I turn around to face the old man who speaks of how even Flynn was stumped with the tree's sickness, that is, until I spot a familiar kid.

"Karol!" I call loudly, causing him to look over, his gaze sad. I frown. He seems so...disheartened.

"What?" He mumbles. I walk over to him, ruffling his hair, causing him to flinch slightly in surprise.

"We need your help, if you don't mind." I ask gently, smiling at him. I feel. Protective over him, similar to how I feel with Kris.

"What are you talking about?" he asks timidly, and I turn to the others. Surprisingly, the old man steps forwards.

"It seems these three are trying to figure out why the tree has withered so." He says somberly.

"Oh, is that all?" Karol asks, his voice still sad. I raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Estelle questions.

"I know the reason, it's why I was in the forest looking for the eggbear."

"What do you mean?" Estelle asks curiously, and Karol glances over.

"Notice the ground's strange color?"

We all glance at the ground.

"That's the monster's blood absorbed into the ground. That blood has been poisoning Halure's tree." Karol explains.

"The monster blood? I had no idea…" The mayor mumbles.

"Karol, you really know your stuff don't you?" Estelle asks, her tone curious. I smile as Karol's face lights up the tiniest of amounts.

"...it was n-nothing." I resist the urge to pinch his cheeks and instead focus on the red ground.

"Is there any way to get rid of the poison?" Yuri asks. Karol's face turns somber again.

"Yeah but...well no one believes me…" Yuri strolls over, before crouching in front of Karol.

"Come on, try us." He says. Karol looks at him for a minute or two and I hold my breath.

"I think we'd be able to do it with a panacea bottle." Karol finally forces out.

"Maybe the store has some." I say, while Yuri stands up.

"Let's go Yuri! Tina!" Estelle says.

"Troublesome…." I mumble as she and Repede run ahead, urging Yuri and myself to follow. As I fall into step with Yuri, I can't help but say.

"So, Yuri Lowell is also good with children! Whichever girl snatches you up is damn lucky!" I say, giving a low whistle. He turns to me, and I don't miss the bit of pink on his cheeks.

"Nah, this is all for you." He teases right back. I giggle loudly, feeling a blush of my own forming.

"Yuri! Tina!" Estelle runs up to us, a distraught look on her face.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Yuri jokes.

"The store is out of ingredients for a panacea bottle, so we need to find them! " She holds out a small note with ingredients on it. "We're heading to the mayor's house to get some petals to use!" I sigh. Figures, we have to do everything the long way. I pull up my sleeves, and finally let out a loud huff.

"That it! These sleeves are driving me insane!" I growl out. "I'm heading to the store, you guys grab the petals, and I'll meet you at Halure's entrance. We have an eggbear to find, unless I'm reading that list wrong." We confirm a meeting place, before I'm off, to finally get some new clothes!

I sigh, adjusting my bag on my shoulder as I exit the store. This is much better! I'm wearing a sleeveless turquoise Chinese dress, with the collar like part (that wraps around the neck) to hold it up. It shows much more skin then I'm used to, but it's not too bad. The dress has a diamond shaped opening right above the chest area, revealing much of the cleavage I had wrapped up and pushed down. I switched my brown belt for a black belt, my small blastia giving off a little glint from its place. The bottom of the dress has two slits on the side, going all the way up to my hips, my light green shorts clearly visible. I finally tuck in the last of my black wraps, giving the outfit a few practice stretches, before sighing in satisfaction. I dash towards Halure's entrance, letting a grin spread across my face. I laugh loudly as I see the others waiting at the entrance.

"Let's go!" I yell, dashing by them into the fields.

_Skit: Changes _

_Estelle: Wow Tina! You look so different! You hid so much under those baggy clothes!_

_Tina: Well, thanks I guess, these were easier to fight with so…._

_Yuri: Yes, they look….nice *blushes*_

_Tina: I didn't know changing clothes was such a difference…._

_Karol: Well, you sure look pretty!_

_Repede: Woof!_

_Tina; Thanks, Karol, Repede! (This is getting awkward…)_

_Tina: Now then, let's get moving!_

_Estelle: Tina! Wait up!_

_End _

_Skit: Ages and Midgets_

_Estelle: Karol? How old are you?_

_Karol: Me? I'm 14! What about all of you guys?_

_Estelle: I'm 18!_

_Yuri: 22_

_Estelle: What about you Tina?_

_Tina: Huh? Oh, I'm 23._

_Karol: WHAT?! You're older than Yuri?!_

_Estelle: But you're so….small._

_Tina: I know...I know *sulks*_

_Yuri: She's just a midget._

_Tina: This midget is about to break your skull in!_

_Karol: I feel like this is gonna happen a lot…_

_End_

"Hey I've been wondering something…..why do all of you, and Repede I guess, have Bohdi Blastia?" Karol asks as we enter the woods once again. "I mean, aren't Bodhi Blastia pretty rare? I didn't think many had them." Well shit, I have no story for this one…

"You have one too though." Yuri points out, and I hope, in vain, that Karol drops it.

"I belong to a guild." He answers easily. "Sometimes we get one." Karol! Why?! I give a soft sigh of relief as I feel Kris helping me relax. He's been sleeping a lot during the day, though I can't figure out why...I send out a wave of worry, and Kris sends a softer wave out, and I reluctantly give in.

"Tina?" I snap out of my daze, looking at Karol.

"Where did you get yours?" I shrug, my mind working furiously to find out a reason.

"I….I got it from a friend." I could consider whoever, or whatever, a friend right? Right. Hopefully. Shit.

"Tina." I jump slightly as Yuri appears right beside me. He gives me an intense stare, and I look away to prevent myself from just giving in and telling him everything. This isn't a story, this is reality, and there's no way he would possibly believe me!

"Yeah?" I mutter.

"I'm here if you need to talk okay?" He says softly, but firmly, in a tone I can't recognize. I nod.

"Thanks…" I whisper. Thank you for caring...

"Hey! Tina! Yuri! Don't fall behind!" Karol yells, I sigh, letting an amused smile slip onto my face.

"He sure is full of energy." I muse. Yuri snorts.

"Let's see what happens to that energy after we find the fruit and start searching for the eggbear." He says sarcastically.

"Urgh!" I grunt, barely avoiding a large paw by bending backwards.

"This is a pain in the ass!" I yell, narrowing dodging, giving Karol an opening to strike the eggbear's back. It roars, and shoves Karol off his feet. Karol quickly tries to stand back up, as Yuri fends of the strikes from reaching our newest member. I growl, jumping, and grinning as my foot glows silver.

"Guillotine!" I yell, swinging my leg downwards in an axe kick onto the beast's head. The bear roars in pain, grabbing my leg, and slamming me onto the ground.

"Tina!" Yuri yells, I gasp for air as the eggbear lifts me again, throwing me in the direction of one of the tree's. I yell out in pain as my back collides with the heavy bark. I fall to the ground, only to land on something...soft?

"Woof!" I smile, opening my eyes, and shakily getting off my furry friend's back.

"T-thank you Repede." I look up to see the eggbear fall to a final strike via Yuri's sword.

"Tina!" Estelle yells worriedly, I stumble over to the others, trying not to blush as Yuri snakes his arm underneath mine, giving me a very...solid base to lean against.

"I-I'm okay, just a bit winded." I say, giving a sheepish grin. Estelle gives me an angry pout while Karol looks at me in amazement.

"Wow! I didn't know you fight hand to hand! Then again...why didn't I see that before now?" Karol mumbles, frustrated.

"Eh? That's good! It means you have a warrior's focus, which is something I know few can have! You're unwilling to let things distract you in a fight!" I say, reassuring him. I hum as Estelle heals me, basking in the soft touch of the healing magic. Usually I don't have time to appreciate it, but healing arts feel really nice!

"Well! Let's get this claw and get back!" I cheer, walking over to the eggbear. I don't hesitate to snap the claw out of the eggbear's paw. I turn and toss the claw to Karol, who yelps, almost dropping it.

"Tina!" He yells. I only ruffle his hair good naturedly. I chuckle as Karol and Estelle run ahead, back towards the exit. A familiar weight leans against my leg, and I scratch Repede behind the ear, not even having to glance down.

"Hey." I turn to Yuri, tilting my head, "You okay?" He asks, and I can tell he's talking about more than my injury…

Was I okay? I rub the spot where my scar is, feeling out Kris's familiar presence in the back of my mind. I think of Estelle, naive and caring, Karol, cowardly yet golden hearted, Repede, reliable and comforting, and Yuri himself...warm. I grin softly at the sky, before turning to Yuri, who's looking at me curiously.

"I'm good." I say.

This time...this time I know I actually mean it.

**AGH! I hate how slow I am! Anyways, I've been thinking a lot of the fututre for this story, which is why this is taking so long. I'm trying to make a strong base for later on, and hopefully it works out good.**

**Kris isn't going to be hugely in the story till much later. I'm going to keep him in Tina's visions for now, so don't worry about it!**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this! I'll get the next chapter up in a week of two...or three, we have a few tests coming up, and studying is gonna take up a lot of time!**

**See yah!**

**From: Dragon S.W.K**


	6. The Simple Act of Caring

**I felt things were going a bit slow, so I decided to skip ahead a bit! I'm excited to write this! If you have any ideas for Tina's artes, feel free to tell me! I've been asked about what kinds of artes, and truthfully, I'm not going to be picky, so anything will be good, though I might tweak some suggestions! On another note! Let's get writing!**

I sigh as I give another glance at Estelle, who was chatting with Karol ahead of us. I was so frustrated! My memory of the storyline had all gone to shit! Estelle did that 'heal the tree' magic, and I can't remember how! I know she has some weird power, I know she doesn't use her blastia, but I can't remember what her power is! I huff, ruffling my hair lightly. Maybe it's better I don't remember, I don't want to indirectly ruin anything...or have I already done that?

"What's up?" I chuckle lightly, not even taking my eyes off the pinkette in front of me to look at Yuri, who had fallen into step beside me.

"Estelle…" I say offhandedly, looking down fondly at Repede when he nudges my hand, demanding a pet.

"Her power?" I nod, and jump slightly when a hand rests on my shoulder. I look up into Yuri's deep grey eyes, thankful that I no longer blush when I look at him.

"Don't worry about it. We'll ask when it's right." His voice is firm, and I can't help but hum in agreement. I grab a small piece of his long violet locks, twisting it skillfully between my fingers.

"You should let me put your hair up sometime." He raises an eyebrow, but doesn't attempt to reach for the small amount of his hair, now being braided by yours truly

"Didn't think you would know how, based on how short yours is." I hum in delight as I finish the braid, and chuckle as it stays in, the result of me having done it so tightly.

"Believe it or not." I say, fluffing my hair slightly. "My hair used to be just as long as yours. The problem is...long hair is easy to grab." I wasn't just talking about my fighting style, but I'll leave it at that. Yuri seemed to have caught on though, and I smiled as I felt his fingers run through my orange strands. He continues to pet me, for a lack of better terms, and I can't help a familiar vibration from starting up in the back of my throat.

"Are you purring?" Yuri asks, a smirk on his face. I duck my head away, and rub my cheeks in an attempt to fight the blush.

"Shut up." I growl, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. We pause in our conversation as Karol screams, running away from Repede, whom was being chased by Estelle….I groan loudly.

"Hey guys, that must be Aspio up ahead, let's get there quickly ok?" Yuri calls out. The three stop with their chase, taking notice of the caves up ahead, the City of Aspio...seems kind of emo to me! I giggle at my own thoughts, before dashing forwards, scooping Karol onto my back as I run by.

"Aggh!" He yelps loudly, I simply giggle, and keep on running. His hands dig into my shoulders, though not tight enough to hurt me. Eventually, spotting monsters ahead, I slow to a stop, glancing behind me to see Estelle and Yuri jogging behind us.

"Hurry up!" I yell out loudly, Karol lets out a quiet giggle, and I can't help but grin widely, laughing as I can feel Kris relaxing. He's been cutting off our connection off and on, which isn't uncommon...but he's been doing it a lot, and seems to be worried about something. Sadly, finding one each other's thoughts isn't possible through our connection. Walking into the dark cave city, I immediately give a small shiver. It's as if wet moss is covering my skin, and I groan as I realize we're barely even inside yet! Spotting two knights standing guard by the entrance, I start to lag behind. Both Yuri and I gained wanted posters, so I'm not going to take any chances of us getting inside. Yuri kept teasing me about my portrait on our two wanted posters (which I'm extremely excited about by the way, One Piece does that to a person) when HIS was drawn way worse than my own, so I'm not gonna bother reminding him! I walk over to the cabin, out of site from the conversation.

"You're kidding." I deadpan, looking at what could only be the most ridiculous thing I have yet to witness. Wonderchef. I mean, sure it was funny in the gameplay, but to actually witness it right now…

"Whine~?" I can feel Repede nuzzling me, as I crouch, desperately trying to breath. I'M LAUGHING TOO HARD OH DEAR GOD! Brushing away my tears, I look up to see the group looking at me, confused. I point a finger at the...thing, and try to keep myself from laughing again.

"Wonderchef." I squeak out. Yuri raises an eyebrow at me, before walking up to the...object that was causing my laughter. In a poof, the wonderchef is standing there in all his glory.

"I am the amazing Wonderchef! As a prize for finding me, let me give you a recipe and a few sets of ingredients to try out!" He cheers enthusiastically, shoving a large bag into my hands.

"B-but!" I try to say, only for the majestic Wonderchef to 'poof' away.

"I already know this recipe…" I say to the now empty space. I turn to Yuri, who simply gives me his usual combo of a smirk and raised eyebrow. I try to divert attention from this already strange and embarrassing situation.

"Now then, I'm guessing the knights were being absolutely useless as per usual?" Estelle pouts at my comment, while Karol giggles lightly, Yuri just sighs. "Pretty much." He mutters, giving a shrug.

"Soooo….." I drawl, gesturing over to the other entrance beside me. "Shall we?" I say good-naturedly.

"You knew this would happen didn't you?!" Karol accused, a large pout covering his face as he picks the lock with practised skill.

"I've heard about the passports before, but they're mainly for places like Aspio. From my limited knowledge of the city, it contains a lot of valuable information that, if stolen by the wrong people, could learn too many horrible things, with the empire blaming the guilds leading to possibly a war being only one of them. They truthfully have every right to block off the information, but I feel they shouldn't block off the people as well." The group stares at me, their expressions mildly shocked. Yuri tilts his head in thought, before nodding absentmindedly. I can tell I raised his opinion about the knights by at least the smallest of amounts. We silently enter, closing the door quietly. The mages reading don't even look up, and I give a small gesture towards them.

"Imagine how easy thieves could steal from these guys?" I murmur into Yuri's ear quietly. He nods hesitantly. Even though I dislike the knights, they are there for a reason, and while he doesn't have to like them, I feel like Yuri should at least understand that the world isn't just black and white.

"Excuse me?" I ask politely to a nearby researcher. He raises his head, his voice annoyed, before his eyes meet a certain...area on my upper torso. I roll my eyes, my annoyance raising by the second. While I don't mind being admired (Raven being a prime example), he didn't even ask what I wanted, or even glance at my face.

"My eyes are here please." My voice straining as I try to keep in my annoyance. His eyes slowly raise to my face, flickering constantly downwards, before a leering smirk appears on his face, and I see a dangerous, and familiar glint in his eyes. I shiver slightly, rubbing my arm in discomfort.

"Hey. Do you know where we can find someone named Mordio?" Yuri cuts in, and I sigh in relief, though I'm mildly confused. Yuri seems...angry? Annoyed? Was I taking too long? He places a hand on my shoulder, and my eyes widen in realization as he rubs it slightly, my surprisingly tense muscles relaxing. Did he see my discomfort? I completely zone out from the conversation, a memory of my past breaking through into my thoughts.

**WARNING: this contains mildly traumatic events, if you are very sensitive to these type of things, then feel free not to read it, but it won't be very detailed. Even so, I feel this warning is necessary.**

_Flashback_

"_Hello." A voice leers dangerously. I whimper, eyes darting desperately for escape._

"_You two look quite young...nine? Ten maybe?" The man leans down, his brown eyes flashing dangerously behind small glass frames, and messy blonde hair shifting in front of his eyes. I can feel Kris's fear as he clings to me desperately. He grins widely, his eyes flashing widely, before he grabs my arm tightly, throwing me across the small room. I let out a yelp as I hit the wall, unbearable pain flaring in my back, my vision blurring as I hit the floor._

"_Stay there brat! If you move, instead of playing with you two, I'll kill you both instead!" I muffle my sobs under my hands, watching as my brother screams in pain, tears running down his face as his clothes are ripped from his body._

_I'm sorry…_

_I'm sorry…_

_Forgive me…_

_Please…_

_I'm sorry…_

_I'M SORRY._

_I'M SORRY._

_I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORR-_

"Tina?!" I snap out of my memory abruptly, looking up at Yuri, trying to calm down my quickened breathing. This wasn't the time for a panic attack.

I calm down slightly, now just noticing the two of us were alone, outside of the library. Yuri reaches down, prying my hand gently from my arm, and looking at the bruises forming. I wince slightly at the sight.

"Sorry…" I mumble, turning away. I didn't want to see the pity in his eyes. I've had too much pity…

"Tina." He says firmly, almost forcing me with his voice to look at him. I'm startled by what I see in his eyes. Not pity, but...anger, and… something else…

"Are you okay?" He asks, observing me closely. I sigh shakily. Why does he care so much? It's barely been two weeks since we've known each other! I''m...I'm not used to anyone caring…

"I…" My voice cracks, and I wince. I try again. "I can't tell you...not yet."

I look him straight in the eye, and he stares back, his eyes peering into my soul. Slowly, he nods.

"...Just remember what I said...I'm always here okay?" He says, and I swallow a choked sob, trying to stop myself from crying. I nod back, and he reaches out, ruffling my hair softly.

"Let's go, I told Karol, Repede and Estelle to go on ahead." I nod, taking in a deep breath.

"Yuri…" He turns, his eyes looking at me in worry. I give him a small smile.

"Thank you..." He simply gives me that ever constant smirk of his, though his eyes are softer than usual.

"Come on." He gestures, and I let a smile form on my face. My gut filled with relief and...a weird warmth…

I wonder what that's all about?

**This is much shorter, and I'm very sorry about that, but I've been really sick (still am), and I was also gone all Christmas Break! Speaking of which, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years! I plan to try to get my next chapter done quicker, despite being so sick, and FINALLY Rita, one of my favourite characters will be mentioned! If there are any questions or arte requests, feel free to PM or review them to me, as long as you're okay if I change them a little bit.**

**Anyways! Thank you for reading! **

**From: Dragon S.W.K.**


	7. Slip Ups

**Next chapter~ I plan to leave the sad stuff out for a while, and bring back some light hearted humour. I felt I showed enough of Tina's secrets for now, and I'm excited to bring back the fun! Who better than Rita?! I'm also planning to divert from the script more, just so you guys know! Thank you to AnimeGmr101 for your arte idea's! I plan to use many of them in the future! (I apologize for my long Hiatus, I had some family problems, and truthfully forgot about this story for a bit.)**

I chuckled as I watched the others investigate Rita's house, before looking down at Repede, whom let out an annoyed whimper.

"Oh hush Repede. This is a good lesson for them! Hopefully, I can use this to pound a lesson or two through Yuri's impossibly thick skull!" I tease, and Repede gives a disbelieving huff. It was surprisingly easy to understand Repede, and while none of the others seemed to think much of it, it was a huge stress reliever for me, and I definitely dealt with my troubles when I had such a good listener, then again, it was also great for my most recent plan...I grin widely as I watch Yuri's annoyed expression. While Yuri was often one of the voices of reason in the group, he had his moments of stupidity, this being one of them.

"Found Mordio yet?" I chirp from my spot on the floor. Yuri gave me a scowl, and I chuckle. The weight of earlier had lifted off of my shoulders after my mess of a break down, and myself and Yuri well...we're closer? I don't know, our trust in each other raised a lot, but there was something else there, and it was warm... Estelle sits down beside me in a somewhat frustrated huff, with a pout on her face that has me chuckling lightly. I turn my attention back to the piles of books, sighing in disappointment. The ability to read had always been a proud skill of mine, myself helping to teach many of the younger children in the orphanage. Sadly, while I was fluent with my verbal Japanese, it would be too difficult reading any form of book, as I struggled with even Karol's simple entries in his Monster book

"Tina?" Estelle asks questionably tilting her head like a curious cat. I scratch the back of my head sheepishly. Estelle gives me an impatient look, but I simply shake my head.

"I'll tell you later." I reassure her. To learn how to read is something I definitely need to learn as soon as possible, and who better but our own personal bookworm? She's the least likely to question me too much anyways. I'm quite rudely brought out of my thoughts by a burst of smoke.

"It seems we found her~" I sing out in a teasing tone. Karol screams, falling onto his back at the sight of the short hooded figure.

"Omigosh…." He whimpers...well, at least he didn't scramble behind Yur- oh, there he goes...I'll need to help him improve on that.

"...shut up…" The figure growls, and I sigh tiredly, casually standing up from my place on the floor. Red glows around the figure, and I rush slightly to Karol's frozen self, grabbing onto his collar, and moving him out of the way of the fireball at the last second, leaving him with no injuries other than singed eyebrows and his severely damaged courage.

"Thieves…." The mage growls, and I groan as I let go of Karol. While Rita is one of my favorite characters, her personality when we first meet her, from what little I remember, is much to be desired. Then again, we DID break into her house…The hood falls and I sigh as I see a very...angry and adorable face.

"A girl?!" Estelle exclaims.

This is gonna take a while... I walk up to Yuri, who has his sword drawn by the young mage's neck.

"Hey let's chill, pointing your weapon at her isn't gonna make this go any faster, neither will accusations." Yuri gives me a pointed glare, and I raise an eyebrow challengingly. He sighs, sheathing his sword once again.

"Make what go any faster?! You're in my house, robbing my stuff!"

"We're here chasing after a blastia thief." I state, noting in annoyance the fact that I was only taller than her by a few inches.

"So? What does that have to do with me?!" I sigh heavily. I had forgotten the most horrid thing of all time….adolescent teens.

"The person we are chasing after went under the name 'Mordio'. Though, this Mordio happened to be male." I let my annoyance seep into my voice. With teenagers, you either slap them over the heads with the rules, or wallow in misery at their dramatic tomfoolery. She snorts.

"So you break into my house, and point weapons at my face?!" Dear god… force a grin Tina, nice and slow.

"Pretty much!" I grin widely, though I can feel my eyebrow twitching. I notice Repede whimper and Karol cower behind him...am I scaring them or something? Repede warily walks towards Yuri, who, now that I look at it, is standing to the side nervously. Did I do something wrong?

"Hey dog! Stay back you...you dog!" I snort quietly as Rita backs away, obviously scared of our canine companion.

"And you, hand him over!" I give Karol a flat look, and he nervously looks between the two of us.

"W-what?!" He whimpers.

"The blastia! Hand him over!" Rita barks. Fortunately for Karol, good ol' naive Estelle is here to save the day. I smirk as Rita turns mildly flustered at Estelle's borderline-extreme politeness.

"So, a blastia thief by my name? That's it?!" Rita drones. I sigh as Yuri finally jumps back into the conversation.

"They also wore a cape like that, and was short." Repede snorts, and I send him a look, causing him to snuff lightly and lay down quietly. Can't have him revealing Yuri's stupidity before he learns his lesson now can we? Rita sighs in annoyance.

"I told you, I have no idea what you're…" A look of mild realization appears across her face. "Oh..I hadn't thought of that…" She mumbled, just loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

"Follow me." She says, walking to the door. She huffs when Yuri just stands there stubbornly.

"We're not done here." Yuri says, his voice laced in annoyance.

"Look, there have been rumors of thieves in the Shaikos Ruins." Rita states, her voice getting more and more frustrated. Estelle walks up beside me, tilting her head in question.

"Are you sure?" She says, her voice deeply curious.

"It came from an Imperial knight who asked me for help, it should be trustworthy." Rita says casually. I notice Estelle and Yuri whispering behind me….hmm…

"Hey, remember what that guy at the front said about someone vandalizing the ruins?" Karol whispers. I shrug, after all, I was laughing at Wonderchef at that point.

"Which means the blastia thief could be there, I don't think Rita did this." I murmur quietly. Yuri raises an eyebrow at me, and I bite my lip harshly, turning my head away. Shit! I'm not supposed to know her name! She hasn't introduced herself yet! Shit shit shit!

"Hmm...maybe." Yuri mumbles, his eyes not leaving me, and I curse inwardly once again. I screwed up dammit!

"Done talking?" Rita drawls, her cloak now discarded, revealing her interesting choice in outfit. She walks towards the door, causing Yuri to give a reluctant sigh.

"All right, but don't even think of making a break for it." He warns.

"Or I'll send Repede after you!" I tease, holding in a giggle when Rita tenses.

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name. My name is Rita. Rita Mordio." She says, as she walks out of the door. I rush after her, avoiding the eyes boring into my back. I hear Yuri and Estelle whispering again, and I fight down a sudden rush of tightness in my chest. What is wrong with my today? I mean, nothing has changed between Yuri and I...right?

"Up to you, but I would follow your friends' actions here, and come with me, unless you rather I call the guards?"

Finally, after some more arguing, we finally manage to leave the dark city, with me swiftly avoiding conversation with Yuri.

_Skit: Rita _

_Karol: Rita's a little scary huh?_

_Estelle: Really?_

_Yuri : She's about what I'd expect. Seems like she's in a crappy mood too._

_Tina: Oh really. We only broke into her house, looked through her stuff, placed a sword against her neck, and accused her of thievery!_

_Yuri: I'm not going to be on my best behavior when dealing with a core thief._

_Estelle: Yuri!_

_Tina: Don't blame you. Although, the weapon pointing was a little uncalled for._

_Karol: What will you do if you're wrong about her Yuri?_

_Yuri: If I'm wrong, I'll apologize._

_Tina: Works every time!_

_Rita: You better remember that when the time comes!_

_Tina: Yes yes child._

_Rita: I'm not a child!_

_Karol: You were listening?!_

_Rita: I just happened to overhear. So, you think I'm scary do you?_

_Yuri: Watch it Karol, she's definitely the type to hold a grudge._

_Tina: Yeah, better watch your back!_

_Karol: H-hey! D-don't scare me like that!_

_End of Skit_

I nervously walk up to Estelle quietly. I don't want to lie, but how do I tell her?

"U-um….Estelle?" I ask her hesitantly.

" Yes Tina?" She asks, smiling politely at me.

"Could you….could you teach me to read?" I force out, feeling my cheeks light up in mild embarrassment. Rita, who was walking behind us, widens her eyes in surprise.

"You don't know how?" Rita asks loudly, causing Yuri and Karol to join the conversation. I curse inwardly, feeling my cheeks get hotter.

"Don't know what?" Karol asks curiously.

"Tina can't read." Estelle answers, and I hang my head, biting my lip. I mean, won't they find it stupid how I can't even read?! Even if it is just due to a language barrier...

"How?" Yuri asks, his tone curious.

"W-well, at the orphanage, those who could read were always working to get money...and the only teacher we had, one of the matrons, was murdered. I can read some stuff though! Like most of Karol's writings!" I say quietly. I wasn't lying about the working, or the murder, but I didn't mention that I was one of the children who could read fluently.

"Really? Well, I can help as well, in fact I'll give you your first lesson at dinner." Yuri says, a sly glint in his eye. Dammit Yuri! He's cornered, me, and I have no way out of this one.

"Alright! I'll take the next lesson!" Estelle says cheerfully. Karol jumps up with a cheer.

"I'll help with Estelle!" Rita doesn't offer me help, and I truthfully don't expect her to, but she is giving me a...curious look. Repede brushes up against me, giving my knuckles a lick.

" Are you going to help me Repede?" I tease lightly. He lightly nips my hand with a playful growl, causing me to giggle.

_Skit: Call me Estelle_

_Rita: Your name is Estellise right?_

_Estelle: Yes, but that is kind of long to say, please call me Estelle._

_Rita: You look like some sort of fancy noble Estellise, why hang out with that jerk?_

_Tina: He is a bit of a jerk, but his collar bones are sexy enough._

_Estelle: Tina!_

_Yuri: Glad you think that way Tina._

_Tina: Part of my charm!_

_Estelle: Well...I think Yuri is a good person…_

_Tina: Damn Yuri, you're raking in the compliments today!_

_Estelle: And please Rita, call me Estelle._

_Rita: Alright, Estellise._

_Tina: She's tough nut to crack…_

_End of skit_

Personally, dinner came too quickly for my tastes. I sat quietly at the fire, this time drawing a picture of Karol being chased by Rita, one of the many times. Yuri sits beside me, looking over my shoulder lazily.

"You're good at drawing." He murmurs, his hair tickles my neck, causing me to shiver slightly.

"T-thanks." I mumbled softly. I turn to a new page, looking up at Yuri expectantly. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"How?" He asks, leaning forward. Why is my heart like this?! Dammit Tina calm down!

" Rita Mordio is quite the famous name. Flaunting such a name in such an obvious act of thievery is either extreme stupidity, or framing." Yuri scowls.

"Do you know if she stole it?" He asks. I frown, I might as well teach him his lesson now.

" I knew beforehand that it wasn't her. After all, if you would have only asked our furry friend to sniff the house for familiar scents…" I say quietly, fiddling with my pencil. I don't dare to look up at Yuri, who hasn't said a word. Did I come off too harsh? Is he angry with me for not telling him?

" Dammit." Yuri huffs, giving a small chuckle. " I really should have thought of that…" I look up at him before poking him lightly.

"Yes you should have mister blockhead!" I tease. Yuri snorts, smirking down at me, and I quickly turn away, trying to hide my blush. I mean, Yuri, with the light of the campfire licking at his face and….GAH! No! Stop! Bad Tina! Calm down….ok I'm good. "Hey." I call out quietly.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"Don't tell Rita." He opens his mouth to argue but I cut him off. "The actual thief might be inside the ruins, and we need someone who knows the basic layout." I tell him. He nods slowly, obviously thinking through the idea in his head. I tap him on the temple with my pencil lightly, causing him to glance down at me.

"You going to teach me or what?" I tease. he snorts, grabbing the pencil and starts to teach me the letters in their alphabet.

The next morning has me frowning at the fields. My connection with Kris is weakening. I can feel it...but why? I've stopped even considering blocking him off, in fear that I won't be in contact with him again but...it's like he doesn't even notice! The day we spent in Aspio, I never felt anything from him at all!

"Tina?" I jump out of my thoughts abruptly. I turn around to face Karol, a hand over my heart.

"Startled me there!" I exclaim. He gives an amused smile.

"Don't worry! I'll try not to scare you too often!" He says sheepishly. I give him a smirk.

"Better not, I don't want to die from a heart attack now do I?" I ruffle his hair, and he blushes brightly. Truthfully, now that I've put some thought into it, Karol reminds me of the younger kids of the orphanage, the ones who had yet to be broken or to hide behind masks of whatever they could find.

"...Tina?" I snap out of my musings, patting Karol on the head once more, ignoring his concerned gaze.

"Let's go, don't want to get left behind now do we?" I coax, and he nods.

_Skit: Dog Language_

_Estelle: Repede's getting really good at handling items, don't you think?_

_Rita: Yeah. But I don't wanna eat any gels that've been in a dogs mouth!_

_Repede: Woof!_

_Tina: You tell her Repede!_

_Yuri: He said, "Come on don't be like that. If things get bad take it!"_

_Rita: That's one big mouth he's - Wait a minute...Did he really say that? All I heard him do was bark._

_Yuri: Stick around long enough and you'll learn to understand him, just like Tina. Right, Repede?_

_Repede: WOOF!_

_Yuri: Huh, is that so…_

_Rita: ….._

_Tina: Aww I love you too Repede!_

_Estelle: You look a little jealous, Rita._

_Rita; N-no way!_

_Tina: She's just upset Repede didn't compliment her!_

_Rita: AM NOT!_

_End of Skit_

"Whoa! This is so cool!" I exclaim, examining the fallen stone. I had never seen any kind of ruins before, they were amazing!

"These are the Shaikos Ruins." Rita introduces flatly though her eyes dance in what is most likely the contained urge to investigate every nook and cranny of the place for the fiftieth time.

"there doesn't look to be any imperial knights around." Estelle muses, and I sigh. If I only had a shot glass… Repede gives a huff, walking forwards and sniffing at the ground, where multiple scuffs and boot marks are visible.

"These footprints are still fresh!" Karol mumbles. I nod in agreement.

"A lot of them too, I doubt just a simple group of researchers." Rita gives me a curt nod.

"Which means it's either the knights, the thieves, or both." I shrug.

"Matters on the intelligence of the thieves. A proper thief wouldn't use the front entrance." Estelle is giving me a curious look, which I proceed to ignore.

"Hey, over here, hurry up." I look up to see Rita urging us to follow her. Yuri gives a flat look, opening his mouth for a sarcastic comment. I raise my hand, giving Yuri's hair a threatening tug.

"Hey love birds! Hurry up!" I groan, just when I try being nice… I look at Yuri, who is smirking, before huffing and following Rita, ignoring my hot cheeks. I only wander off a few times, each time coming back with a useful item, a life bottle here, some magic lens there. It takes a bit of wandering and backtracking, but eventually we are beside a..familiar statue. I glance down at the edges of the lady statue, confirming my distant memory. Yep, gotta move it.

"I hope news of the Underground hasn't gone out…" Rita say worriedly, and I drag myself out of my musings.

"Underground?" Estelle questions. Rita nods in response, suspicion slowly forming in her mind.

"Recently an entrance was found Underground into the ruins, only a handful of mages should know about it."

"Which makes it easier for a thief to go unnoticed, fewer eyes." Yuri throws in. I nod in agreement, leaning against the statue.

"Should you be telling us this?" Karol asks, and Rita sighs.

"Well I have to clear my name somehow don't I?" She drawls.

"Speaking of super secret entrances…" I drawl, nodding my head towards, the scuffs and scratches on the stone. Rita walks over to investigate.

"I wouldn't have minded thieves after we finished the excavation, but who knows what type of damage might be done." She mumbles worriedly.

"Let's get this moved then huh?" Karol says, rushing to the opposite side to push it. I raise my eyebrow, walking behind him. I watch him struggle a bit, before settling beside him, forearm firm against the surprisingly cold stone. Yuri comes in beside me, doing the same.

"Come on, put your shoulder into it." He urges our youngest companion. I grunt, pushing forwards and keeping my feet firm on the ground. The statue moves forwards steadily.

"Urgh…" Karol groans.

"Come...on." I growl in annoyance as it gets stuck.

"Just...a little more." Yuri grits out, and finally, the stone has moved away, revealing the dark abyss below.

"Karol are you okay?" Estelle asks, obviously concerned by the boy's deep breathing. I roll my shoulder, removing the ache from it with relative ease.

"S-sure, that was a cinch." Karol gasps out. I giggle lightly, and Yuri snorts behind me.

"Okay, here we go." Rita says, marching downwards. I wince, dark, damp enclosed spaces underground? I mean, I was mildly uncomfortable in Aspio but this.

"You okay?" Yuri asks, I snap out of my nervous daze, noticing the others staring at me. I hold back a cringe.

"Y-yeah." I inwardly curse my sudden stutter. "Let's get going."

Kris sends me a faint wave of comfort, and I manage to smile. I'm not alone...at least, not yet.

**I'm so excited~ I got some idea's~ Anyways, i enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! feel free to PM me or send a review of arte idea's, changes you might want in the story line, or any constructive criticism. Please though, do not honor me with your words of wisdom in the form of Flames, they will not be welcome.**

**Thank you again for reading.**

**From: Dragon S.W.K.**


	8. Warmth and Recovery

**Story time! Ah I'm happy to write more of this! Those first two chapters make me cringe, so I'll probably edit those eventually, if I haven't by the time I post this chapter. Also, if you guys spot any bumps or parts not making sense in the story, TELL ME! I will tell you if they are supposed to be there or not, but I would appreciate the help. And don't worry if you don't want to, I'm not gonna sass you guys out or anything….heh. Also, if anyone has any 'class' of fighter they would like to see for Kris, please tell me, I'm a bit conflicted on what I'm gonna do there... Anyways, let's get going!**

"This is my first time being in ruins…" Estelle muses. I look around in a mixture of wonder and relief. Wonder, over the fact that, like Estelle, I've never seen ruins, relieved, because it's a wide and open cavern, not narrow tunnels, that would make fighting way harder!.

"Be careful, the rock is slippery." Rita says sharply, and I raise an eyebrow in surprise. She already seems pretty concerned for Estelle already, something I distinctly remember happening later in the gameplay.

"What are you looking at?" She snaps at Yuri, and I chuckle, earning a glare myself.

"I was just surprised, you're actually a nice person." Yuri drawls, and I hold back a snort. Rita sighs in irritation.

"I knew it would be a pain to bring you along." Just wait till I start speaking Rita. "I knew I should've just come by myself." Wait...how long has she been doing this alone?

"Do you always come to research the ruins alone?" Estelle inquires point blank. I use the slippery rocks to my advantage, sliding down the slope, arms out to keep my balance.

"Yeah." Rita says, following after me in a similar style. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You must be pretty skilled with taking down traps." I muse. Rita glares at me, a hand on her hip.

"Stop trying to sweeten me up, I'm here to clear my name." I step out of the way as she stomps by.

"Nice kid." Yuri sighs, stumbling slightly on the rocks. I smirk in response.

"So you're willing to go through so much danger just to reach your goal?" Estelle asked. Rita scoffs.

"No danger and you still made accomplishments, you must have had an easy life." Estelle's face falls, and I open my mouth to end the conversation, only to have Estelle's face brighten.

"Rita's amazing! she just comes out and says just what she wants to say!" Estelle muses to herself.

"She's knows exactly what's important to her." I smack Yuri lightly at his sassy tone. Estelle, bless her heart, doesn't even notice.

"I wish I knew what was important to me..." I chuckle, causing her to glance up at me.

"It takes time you know." She tilts her head, and I grin at her. "The only thing important to me so far is my brother, but that's my obligation as the older twin." I grin wider as I feel a tinge of annoyance. He knows exactly whenever I mention that. "Dreams exist as a path for learning about yourself. Are you willing to sacrifice this or that to accomplish something? That is finding out what's important to you, and what isn't." Estelle slips on the rock, her focus completely on me, and I catch her with a chuckle. "The only way for you to find out your goals is to dream and learn and experience. You've had your fair share of the first two, now you need to get the third." The group is silent, staring at me, and I blush. Who am I to speak so much nonsense I mean I was rambling for so long and-

"Wow Tina!" I look up in surprise as Estelle hugs me! "Thank you! You really helped!" I won't deny that I'm panicking. Neither my brother nor myself liked physical contact, but...it was warm? The hug ends, and to be honest I'm shaken. I want more of that warmth, and it scares me. Kris has faded out again, so I'm all alone in this mess of my mind. I force a smile on my face.

"No problem Estelle!" And with that conversation leaving me with some new thoughts to chew on, we go on our way. Damn, we're only just starting…

_Skit : Searching the Ruins_

_Estelle: These ruins are very different once you're inside them._

_Tina: I'm just glad there's light so we can see!_

_Karol: Yeah, if it was super dark we wouldn't be able to see all this cool stuff!_

_Yuri: What, is this your first time too Karol?_

_Karol: Well yeah, my specialty is monster hunting._

_Tina: There's gotta be some cool monsters in the cave though…_

_Karol: Hey, what do you think this is?_

_Rita: You shouldn't be fooling around over there. This place is loaded with traps._

_Tina: Yes! Danger!_

_Estelle: Tina don- did anyone just hear a click?_

_Yuri: Karol! Watch out!_

_Karol: Waaaaaah!_

_Yuri: Sorry. I thought you were about to be killed. I overdid it._

_Karol: I think I would have been better getting caught in the trap…._

_End of Skit_

_Skit: Monster Stories_

_Tina: No….they don't have a tail, there's no muscle. It's just long fur._

_Karol: You sure? It flinched badly when I attacked it there._

_Tina: Then maybe the extra fur is hiding a soft spot?_

_Karol: Huh, cool! You're good at drawing monsters Tina! This book will be full in no time!_

_Tina: Yeah! You're better at descriptions though, it's so hard to write…_

_Karol: Heh! Don't worry about it, you could practise writing out the descriptions if you want!_

_Tina: Hmmm, not a bad idea buddy…anyways, what about this part here?_

_Yuri: Huh, they're really into that Monster book_

_Estelle: Oh! I've never seen this monster before! Karol, what is this?_

_Karol: Glad you asked!_

_Yuri: And we've lost another, Repede, am I surrounded by bookworms?_

_Repede: woof!_

_Yuri: Yeah, I'm doomed._

_End of Skit_

_Skit: Rita's Calm Mind_

_Estelle: Rita, you seem very used to fighting for someone who's been doing research in Aspio for so long._

_Rita: I'm just used to using magic, and I've been working to cultivate a calm mind._

_Tina: Interesting..._

_Yuri: A calm mind huh…?_

_Estelle: Is there something wrong with that?_

_Karol: Boo! …..Ouch!_

_Rita: Sorry, I thought you were a monster._

_Karol: Argh...I'll startle you someday, you just wait…._

_End of Skit_

"Guillotine!" I cry out, watching in satisfaction as the merman's head is removed from it's body. I look over to see Karol finishing off the last of the monsters.

"Hey, you!" Rita calls out to me.

"The name's Tina. What's up?" I ask, mentally sweating as Rita's eyes rove over me. She's a genius after all, so maybe she found out my origins?! Crap!

"Your artes...they feel weird…hmm…" And she walks off without even glancing at my face again. My artes feel weird? Is it because I'm not from here? I shake off my worries. If Rita finds out, I doubt she will blurt it out...maybe. Also, I can always just play dumb, she'll probably buy it. Luckily for me, Rita has crouched down beside a old piece of stone.

"Looks like this little one is no good…" She muses. I crouch down beside her, taking in the cracked and dusty stone. To think this used to be used for so many amazing things in the past…

"Wow, so this is what blastia look like before they're excavated." Karol says, in awe.

"I wonder why ancient people buried blastia here in the first place?" Estelle muses.

"I wish I could tell you, that's something else being researched." Rita sighs, obviously annoyed at her lack of knowledge for the subject. I look at the blastia carefully, before glancing around the cavern walls.

"With all these blastia lying here. I don't suppose there are any aque blastia lying around too…" Yuri mutters, crouching down beside Rita as I step away.

"None of them have cores in them." Estelle points out, and I glance down at the empty hole.

"Really, then they don't work do they?" I shrug at Karol, I don't remember much about the details of blastia, well, except for more important things later on.

"Blastia aren't excavated with the cores and the bodies together." Rita drawls, stepping away from the blastia in thought. I decide ignore the rest of the conversation around me quite blatantly in favour of examining the ruins.

"Tina? You're zoning out again." I gaze around at the walls of the ruins, before my eyes are glued to a symbol in pieces on the ceiling.

"_The sun…"_ I mutter in English. Rita looks up at me in interest, and I wince.

"What language is that?! what did you just say?!" She demands. I turn my head back up towards the ceiling. There's a warmth in the back of my mind, slowly trickling around my temples in a faint tickling sensation. This isn't Kris. This is something else.

"Um...I said 'the sun.'" I gesture upwards towards the symbol on the ceiling.

"The sun? What about it?" Estelle asks. I bite my lip, the warmth is back in my mind.

"It's just, everything else has moons on it, and stars as their carvings, but the roof is the sun, it just seems a bit out of place..." I fumble, trying to grasp why the symbol seems so...fascinating. Rita is giving me a look of disbelief, and I shrug. Luckily, Yuri is here as my saviour.

"Let's move on, we can talk about this later." He gives me a look and I shudder as the warmth finally leaves my head. We keep walking through the ruins, and I push the puzzle of the past two minutes into the back corners of my mind, I can worry about that later.

"What was that you said Tina?" Karol questions, fumbling horribly while he attempted to speak English. I can't help it. I laugh. I laugh _hard._ When Estelle joined in I was almost choking I was laughing so hard.

"Nononononononono!" I hurry out, trying to calm my laughter. "T-that's not how you say it!" I exclaim, grinning. Yuri snorts, a smirk on his face.

"It's…" He pauses. "_Sun_? Right?" I let out a horribly loud and ugly snort. I mean, he said it right...but his accent!

"It's pronounced _sun_ ,Yuri got the closest." I exclaim, trying to regain my breath. Rita just rolls her eyes at us, but curiosity burns in her gaze.

"Hey! This one's still got a core in it!" Karol exclaims, as we walk up to said blastia. Rita pulls a familiar ring out of her pocket.

"Here, try shooting this at the core." I snatch the ring out of her hand.

"Dibs!" I cheer, before looking down to examine the ring. "Hey is this a mini blastia…?" I question, examining the plain silver ring with a small red blastia core imbedded in it.

"Glyph Crystallization allows this blasita to emit aer as needed." Estelle recites. Wait...what?

"That's not the best way to put it…" Please, an explanation in simple Japanese, I'm not that advanced yet… "It's actually used to charge other blastia with aer." Ok, there we go, that makes sense. "...but wait how did you know that?" Rita asks.

"In the castle I read that the ring acts as a kind of key in ancient ruins." A key?

"Castle?" Rita asks, and I finally can't resist.

"So I just point and shoot?" I say excitedly, bouncing on my heels. Yuri gives me an exasperated look, while Karol looks just as curious.

"Pretty much." Rita relents, dragging her gaze away from Estelle. I giggle evilly, and Estelle and Karol back up behind me. I point the ring at the blastia, and feel a small tug. I notice with slight alarm that my blastia is glowing brightly! "What is your blastia-" Before Rita can finish, the small ball of orange condensed aer fires towards the blastia, and a crest glows as the core is brought to life.

"That's a strihm crest. it's a mark that indicates movement." Estelle says in wonder as she looks around, I look around as well searching for whatever should be moving. If I'm right some floor pieces should rise...there's the stairs!

"Hey! Wh-what's that?" Karol yelps. And there's the golem monsters. How could I forget large golems with cement blocks on their arms?!

"A sentinel for taking care of unwanted guests." Rita drawls, looking pretty unfazed. I mentally gulp. Unlike her, I fight hand to hand….or fist to stone, ouch.

"Okay then, keep your eyes let's keep moving." Yuri says firmly. He turns to me, his eyes digging into mine. "You might not like it Tina, but I doubt you can do much against solid stone, so If we have to fight one, stya as support okay?" Wait, what?

"But…" I pause. there really is nothing I can do to fight these guys. So, I'll hold myself back, even if I don't like it. "Ok." I nod. "but I'm at the front for the monsters." Yuri gives me a smirk, and I fight back a blush.

"Wouldn't have expected anything else." I give everyone a wide grin.

"Are you sure? What if I'm just luring you deeper into the ruins so I can 'zap' you?" Rita mocks. Yuri scoffs at her, and I giggle.

"I'm starting to think I'd take my chances with the golems." He says, turning away. I hold out the ring to her, and she gives me a flat look.

"Keep it." Huh? Isn't this valuable? She seems to read my mind, as she sighs. "We'll need to use it a few more times while we're here, and you're pretty enthusiastic with it." I raise an eyebrow at her, before jumping and cheering.

"YEAH!" I run forwards, the ring now firmly on my finger. "I got a cool ring~ Yeah~" I sing merrily, twirling. I mean, who wouldn't be happy? I got a super cool laser ring!

Then I was bored. I'm essentially useless against these golems until I get some proper arm braces, which I sadly haven't bought yet. So I would distract and dodge and assist with items, but it was weird not being on the front lines.

_Skit: the Sorcerer's Ring_

_Yuri: I wonder if people a long time ago used little rings like this to move things around._

_Tina: Well there is so little you can access without it, so probably._

_Rita: Items like this have been found in other ruins as well._

_Karol: It sure is useful for something so small!_

_Rita: Yeah, unlike some people I could name._

_Tina: Hey, keep the insults at a minimum child._

_Rita: I'm not a child!_

_Estelle: It's impressive that you've been entrusted with a sorcerer's ring Rita. I've heard they're only given to a very small number of people._

_Yuri: Hmm...guess someone trusts you._

_Rita: You're the only one who doesn't._

_End of Skit_

"OHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream in excitement.

"Tina? Something wrong?" I faintly hear Karol ask, I hold up my prize in triumph. Thank god for chests!

"Look!" I cheer! The others look on in confusion, before Yuri gives that usually smirk of his.

"Getting tired of not being on the front lines eh?" I clutch my pair of gauntlets protectively. Yes, you got that right! I found some gauntlets! I slip them on, before frowning down at the plain grey metal.

"I'll need to get some good quality ones soon. These ones have rusted a bit from the condensation in the ruins, so I won't be able to do artes without them shattering." I mutter, flexing my fingers. Rita turns away, letting out a huff. Is she still mad at me for calling her a child?

"Let's go." Well then...

_Skit: Did you say 'Castle'?_

_Rita: Hey, didn't you say something about the castle not too long ago?_

_Estelle: Oh? Well, yes you see…_

_Yuri: Yeah, I was in the castle a while back. I used to be a knight._

_Rita: You? A knight? Please, how gullible do you think I am?_

_Estelle;:Believe it or not, it's true._

_Rita: ...will wonders never cease?_

_Yuri: Is it really so hard for everyone to believe that?! The only one who believes me is Tina._

_Rita: Oh yeah, your girlfriend, of course she would believe you._

_Yuri: She's not...come on, let's go._

_Estelle: Yuri?_

_Rita: hey, they changed the subject on me…_

_End of skit_

"Rita I don't think you should…" She rushes by me, towards what I distantly remember being the first boss of the gameplay. "Never mind, run towards what is obviously a giant version of the golems trying to kill us earlier." I huff. Karol looks up at me, worry in his eyes. I plant a hand on his head, ruffling his hair.

"I'm looking for the aque blastia, not this...this puppet." Yuri seems uneasy at the sight of the golem, and I can't blame him. Somehow, knowing we're inevitably going to fight this goliath of stone has put me into a kind of numb form of acceptance and dread.

"Woof?" I smile softly down at Repede, who is nudging my leg.

"I feel something...dangerous." I admit to him quietly, he nudges me, before raising his head and observing our surroundings. Huh, so he feels the same.

"What are you doing?! Don't just go poking him like that!" Rita barks, and I scowl. I clench my eyes shut. I would rather feel terror than dread. Repede growls, and I raise my head towards the startled thief up in the far corner. Ignoring the banter I face what will soon be our opponent, only looking up at the goliath as it glows, it's blastia now in place. It raises its arm, and I dash forwards, as the warmth from before slowly trickles back into my neck. I'm not gonna let someone die that easily, I can't risk any change in the story! I wrap my arms around Rita's slightly smaller frame, bracing myself. But there is no bracing against something like this, and I let out a cry as we're launched to the side. I feel the crack of what is most likely multiple ribs. I abruptly turn, softening the landing for Rita, and inhaling as a sharper pain erupts in my side. Definitely feeling fear now….and pain, and that goddamn warmth!

"Tina!" the others shout, and Rita shuffles off me, panic in her eyes.

"Broke a rib of two….definitely." I mutter. I turn my head to see Estelle kneeling beside me, her healing already draining away the pain, but not the warmth, no, that's just spreading down the back of my neck. Rita takes a sharp breath, snatching Estelle's wrist, and I know exactly what she just saw.

"Wait a minute…" She says in disbelief, and Estelle lets out a yelp of surprise. I push myself up, ignoring the numb pain in my side. "How did you…" Rita trails off as Estelle turns to me, worry in her eyes.

"Tina don't sit up! Broken bones are brittle after such little healing!" She exclaims. I choke on a breath as the warmth in my neck sudden floods my entire body, warmth tickling my toes. I notice my blastia glowing faintly. Rita opens her mouth, obviously to ask what the hell is up with me, when Karol yells across the room.

"Hey you guys! Stop playing around and come help us!" I sit up, grinning as a familiar mixture of adrenaline and anticipation fills my system.

"Taste my fist!" I roar, the familiar blue light of Ginrei Kojaku erupting from my hand as I punch forwards. It hits the goliath in the side, causing it to stumble slightly, missing Repede by mere inches. " I swear when I get that thief I'm gonna whip his ass!" I shout, but I can feel a grin tugging on my face. For the first time since Aspio, I feel normal again. I run beside Yuri, dodging a stone fist to pop up beside him.

"Finally back to normal huh?" Yuri drawls casually, and I pause in slight surprise. He noticed? The warmth leaves abruptly, but my happiness lingers. Shaking my head, I dodge underneath the stone giant. Now isn't the time to wonder about strange feelings, now's the time to act! I grab the goliath's glowing ankle tightly, and with a yell, I pull. My hands almost slip off the smooth stone, and I can feel the sweat pouring down my face. Finally, the giant falls over, giving room for the others to act.

"Wolf strike!" Yuri yells, stabbing into the thinner section of the Goliath's arm, before punching the same spot, and grimacing slightly. As the Goliath tries to stand back up, I glance at Karol, who's near it's head. I catch his eye, and he nods, determination in his eyes. He raises his axe, slamming it down hard on the goliath's head.

"Destroying rock!" I grin as the goliath stumbles as it stands, a large crack running through it's head. We continue to hit and run, dodging the stone fists as they hurtle towards us.

"Stone blast!" Rita cries, and while it's pelleted with rocks, Yuri dashes behind it, and aims an azure edge at it's blastia.

Finally, it collapses, and doesn't get up. Rita walks up breathing harshly. "All that's left is to cut off it's power supply…" She pauses, a grim expression on her face. "I'm sorry…" I see Rita in a new light then. An orphan, genius and outcast, with nothing but hunks of rocks filled with secrets surrounding her...no wonder she's obsessed.

"Rita…" I call as the others start to leave.

"Hurry!" Karol yells, and Rita snaps out of her daze.

"All right, all right!' She snaps, but her eyes are still sad, and her shoulder slightly drooped. I turn to Estelle, who has that familiar look in her eyes.

"Flynn isn't here. I doubt someone as amateur as that rat could walk around with knights around." She looks up at me, and I sigh slightly when I see her so upset.

"I don't think Flynn's here anymore. Come on." Thank you Yuri! I run ahead, ruffling Karol's hair as I pass.

"Go! Go! Go!" I cheer. Ignoring Rita's angry mutterings. I usher them as they continue to stall, and Yuri just gives me an exasperated look. "Kids these days.." I groan dramatically. He snorts, and we both start running, letting the others catch up.

**There are a whole bunch of skits in the ruins, so I did skip a few and add one of my own! I managed to finish this just before finals thankfully. Again, if anyone has recommendations for artes for Tina, tell me! I might not use them, but I'll sure as hell read and consider them! As usual, if you see any parts I missed that are crucial to the plot or things I mixed up, please feel free to tell me same with grammatical errors! **

**Thank you for reading, and to those in high school, don't die from finals!**

**From: Dragon S.W.K.**


	9. Haze Daze

**A new chapter!I had finals a few weeks ago, which had me starting on this chapter late, not to mention my more difficult classes are this semester. Thank you to ****Lovely Loveless 6676** **for pointing out an error in my grammar, you really are lovely! For a notice, I've updated the first two chapters. Eventually, I may have to completely redo them, as I wrote those quite a while ago, so they're kind of meh. As usual, any bumps in the story I might have overlooked, please tell me! If anyone has more recommendations for artes, feel free to message me! **

I cringe as I see the cavern area of Aspio. While I'm not sure if that heavy feeling that caused my slump was actually caused by something in here, or if that was just coincidence, I'm still wary. That incident with that guy...doesn't count. We learnt about the 'blastia black market' as I call it, from the thief, before knocking him out and snatching anything he had stolen, and heading back to Aspio. I clench the scarf wrapped tightly around my knuckles. Rita's scarfs had protective enchantments due to their usage in magic artes, so she gave me her's to use as wraps, explaining how she had tweaked the formula to protect my hands. She stills gives me looks though, obviously insanely curious about when I spoke English.

"Tina?" I look at Karol, who is tugging on my dress, amusement and worry in his eyes. "You need to stop zoning out." I giggle, ruffling his hair good-naturedly.

"Don't worry about it, just a habit." I look up at the conversation going on. "So what's going on?"

"Flynn apparently hired a mage to solve Halure's problem and headed back there. We need to report that thief to the guard and we need to wait at Rita's house." He pauses, and I notice Yuri is already near the gate. "...and Yuri's still accusing Rita of thievery." I groan. He knows she's innocent! Why does he have to be so stubborn! I run up to him, thumping him on the head from behind. he looks back at me, frowning.

"Idiot~" I tease, grinning at him. He rolls his eyes. Only to turn back and catch Rita's passport, as she ran on ahead to the knight outpost. As we walk by the library, I feel fear start to crawl into my thoughts. What if he's still there? With those hungry eyes… A hand gently brushes one of my bangs behind my ear. Yuri is looking at me with dark eyes.

"You ok?" He asks, and I nod, giving him a tiny smile. I focus on Yuri's presence as we walk past the library towards Rita's house. He stays on my left, between me and the library. It warms my heart to see his silent form of protection.

About a half an hour later, Estelle is showing me one of the more basic books in Rita's collection, having me read through it and pointing out the more complicated words and why this is written like that and so on. Repede is lying on my lap, effectively pinning me to the floor with his snugly body.

"So that's…." I pause, studying the word carefully. "Conductive…..?" I say hesitantly, watching as Estelle's eyes light up in happiness. I mentally cheer. "I'm getting good at this!" I giggle. I look over at Yuri, whose smirking and I think back to when he touched my hair...oh god I'm blushing aren't I? I snap my head down, focusing on petting Repede.

"If you're that worried about Flynn, would you rather leave now?" Yuri drawls, and I glance up at Estelle, whose face has morphed into a worried visage.

"It's just...I've got to give a proper goodbye to Rita…" I hold back a grin. Only Estelle would be conflicted by something like that.

"Then take it easy." Yuri drawls and I snort. he's quite the sight, casually sprawled across Rita's floor. He's definitely taking it easy.

"What are you gonna do after this Yuri? Tina?" Karol asks.

"I guess I'll go pay a visit to the guy behind all this core stealing." Yuri says, eyes glazing slightly as he thinks. Karol turns to me, and I shrug.

" Help Yuri find the core, and after, find my brother before he gets himself killed." I crack a grin as I can feel the sass _oozing_ from my brother. "Then again." I say offhandedly. "He's got too much attitude to die without chewing me out for trying to find him in the first place." Yuri snorts. Look at me from his place on the floor, his eye filled with humor. Karol hums thoughtfully.

"Well, to look for the blastia, we should probably make our way down to Nor Harbor." He says. I tilt my head to the side. I don't think I was paying enough attention to the thief to remember what he was talking about…

"Don't you mean Torim Harbor?" Yuri asks. Wait…

"Aren't those the two ports that connect the two main continents?" I ask, looking towards Karol. "This side has Nor Harbor, the other Torim?" He nods.

"Exactly, Capua Nor for here on Illyccia and Capua Torim for Tolbyccia." He looks over at Yuri. "Technically, the two ports are the ends of one city that stretches over both continents. If you want to go to Torim, you've got to cross Nor." Yuri smirks at Karol, who blushes as he realizes he was somewhat rambling.

"So...where is it from here?" At this point, Estelle comes out of her little funk, and looks up.

"it's West of here, through Ehmead Hill." She blurts out, her tone still anxious. I give her a sympathetic smile, and she relaxes a bit, smiling back. "I have to get back to Halure and meet up with Flynn." She says firmly. I frown, is she planning on going alone? Not if I can help it!

"We'll head back there too, drop you off. Then go on our way." I turn to Yuri. He nods.

"According to our friends in the ruins, it sounds like our client's based in the harbor, so that wouldn't be a problem." He confirms. I grin widely, Yuri smirks back.

"Um…" I turn to see Estelle and Karol with their heads suspiciously turned away. What are they up to? Karol turns back, and his face slowly shifts into familiar teen angst.

"Karol?" I ask concerned. Yuri looks over as well.

"What? You got some sick, frail girlfriend waiting for you at home?" Karol mumbles something similar to 'I wish…' under his breath, but I don't push it. Finally, the door creaks open, and in walks Rita, whose face goes blank when she spots us on the floor.

"I know I asked you to wait for me," She drawls, eyes roving over our lazy forms. "but you really made yourselves at home didn't you?" I grin widely, as I casually place the book back. Repede lifts himself off my legs and my left one is, unsurprisingly, asleep. Yuri stands up and looks at Rita blankly.

"Sorry for suspecting you." He says blandly, I laugh at his tone, before standing up. My leg tingles and I shake it out slightly, giving Repede a pout.

"What a heartfelt apology." I've come to a decision. Rita is the Goddess...of teenage angst. "It worked pretty well for me me too." She smirks, walking over and diving abruptly into study mode.

"Rita?" Estelle asks curiously. Yuri nudges his head towards the door when the mage doesn't respond.

"Well, thanks for the hospitality." He says dryly, and I grin as I hobble dramatically to the door, Repede huffing in exasperation behind me.

"What? Going so soon?" I raise an eyebrow at her. First she wants to kick us out, then she wants us to stay? My spidey senses are tingling... Yuri's obviously are too, if his answer indicates anything.

"We don't want to overstay our welcome. Plus we're in a bit of a hurry." I grin as Estelle, unknowingly, swoops in to our rescue. She bows stiffly, and Rita shrinks back in surprise.

"I'm so happy to have met you Rita. I'm afraid we have to go now, I'll thank you properly later." She rushes out, obviously eager to go find Flynn.

"Okay…" Rita says awkwardly, blushing slightly at the formal farewell. I merrily walk out the hut, but inwardly my mind is a mess. Isn't Rita supposed to come with us? Did I change something? Ugh, not knowing the small stuff is a pain in the ass! Despite this though, I don't say anything, biting my tongue as we possibly walk away from a crucial character….permanently.

_Skit: The Frail Girlfriend_

_Estelle: So, tell me about this frail girlfriend of yours Karol?_

_Karol: Wha?!_

_Tina; Yeah, is she cute?_

_Estelle: The reason you want to go to Nor Harbor is so you can see her isn't it?_

_Karol: H-how do you know about her?!_

_Tina: Knew it!_

_Karol: N-no! I mean she's not even in Nor Harbor…._

_Estelle: Oh it's not Nor Harbor?_

_Karol: I d-don't know what you're talking about!_

_Yuri: Your might as well come clean Karol, Tina's already figured you out. It's obvious Estelle won't give up either. _

_Karol: You've got it all wrong!_

_Estelle: Karol…_

_Tina: And they're off…._

_End of Skit_

As we walk onto the main circle platform, Yuri turns around, and I glance back as well, spotting Rita walking towards us.

"If you're seeing us off, we'll say goodbye here." He drawls.

"I'm going with you." I snort, of course this is how she would join us.

"Y-you're doing what?" Karol exclaims, dazed. I laugh walking forward and swinging Rita in a tight hug.

"I knew it!" I exclaim, placing the dizzy girl down. "I sensed it with my magical sixth sense!" I Exclaim dramatically, to Rita's giggles and Yuri's smirk.

"Oh." Yuri says flatly. "So this is why you didn't want us to leave without saying goodbye." Rita finally manages to shake of her dizziness, and gives me a glare, replying with a simple; "Yeah."

"Yeah? Just, 'yeah'?" Karol repeats, and I giggle, waving a hand in front of his face as his eyes glaze over in comedic terror. I turn back to Rita.

"Not to be rude, but aren't you like a super duper genius mage? Aren't you super important here?" I say, gesturing around me. Rita hums in thought, before her eyes brighten in realization.

"I want to see Halure's barrier blastia for myself. It's no good to people if it's broken right?" Wait, this obviously isn't her true reason...so what is?

"Actually the three of us fixed it together." Karol pipes up. Rita gapes.

"Huh?" She asks indignantly. "What do you mean you fixed it? You're just amateurs!" Karol opens his mouth, obviously about to spill about Estelle's powers.

"We found it was more the biology of the plant than the blastia itself." I drawl, keeping with Karol's idea of the panacea bottle. She raises an eyebrow, before huffing.

"Just because you fixed the tree, doesn't mean the blastia core is." She mutters to herself. "I still want to check it out." She tells us. My excited eyes meet Yuri's exasperated ones.

"Suit yourself." Yuri shrugs. Estelle dashes up to Rita, smile on her face.

"W-what?!" She sputters, and I grin. Rita is probably the first girl Estelle has met who's near her age.

"I've never had a real friend my own age before!" Called it. I glance over at Yuri, a soft smile on my face.

"What?" He asks. I look back at the two girls.

"It's nice...seeing people become friends. It's precious." Yuri tilts his head, and Karol lets out a small 'huh?' I shake my head, grin still on my face. Estelle and Rita remind me of the smaller children back at the orphanage, who became family with one another. I clap my hands together sharply, gaining everyone's eyes.

"Let's get going! Don't want to lose your knight friend eh?" Without any more distractions, we finally get moving.

_Skit; Traveling with this Bunch?_

_Yuri: When we left the capital, it was just me,Tina, Estelle and Repede_

_Estelle: Now Karol and Rita have joined us. I'm so happy to be traveling with you both!_

_Tina: Yeah~ It makes the experience more fun!_

_Karol: I'm not too sure about some people in our party though…_

_Tina: Karol! Apologize to Yuri!_

_Yuri: Hey, how do you know he was talking about me?_

_Tina: Well you look the most sketchy…_

_Yuri: Again with this?!_

_Rita: Well, I'm not too sure about the little runt._

_Yuri: Hey now, go easy on the young Captain._

_Estelle: Rita we all have to work to get along, okay?_

_Rita: Oh yeah….right._

_End of Skit_

_Skit: Heavy_

_Yuri: Hey, Tina…_

_Tina: What's up?_

_Yuri: What was up with you while in the ruins? You seemed more spaced out than usual._

_Tina; Ha! it was nothing!_

_Yuri: Tina._

_Tina: I just felt….a bit heavy. _

_Yuri: Heavy?_

_Tina: ...mentally…. It's weird I know~ Spooky~ But now it's all gone!_

_Yuri: ...Tell me if it comes back?_

_Tina: Heh…..okay._

_End of skit_

_Skit: Big game in a Small package_

_Estelle: Isn't it hard to use a weapon that large Karol?_

_it's a little heavy, but I need something large like this to make myself look bigger!_

_Tina: That's pretty impressive!_

_Yuri: That's just the right trick to hide your miniscule size._

_Rita: Ah, you want to look bigger to fool your enemies._

_Estelle: Now that you mention it, small monsters often puff themselves up to appear more menacing._

_Karol: Right! So it's just like...Huh? Are you saying I'm the same as a monster?_

_Tina: Wouldn't that make you appear more scary?_

_Yuri: Even so, changing your appearance doesn't change who you really are Karol._

_Tina: Oh no! Is Karol some super scary assassin here to cut us down?!_

_Karol: Nah, I'm just an elite Hunting Blade, you got nothing to worry about!_

_Yuri: I hope that's not another one of your clever tricks._

_End of Skit_

I stretch leisurely as we enter Halure. The monsters in the fields are much easier than they were before, and my stamina has increased enough that I'm not dying halfway through!

"H-hey! The trees' already blooming?" I wince at Rita shout, right beside my ear.

"Heh heh! I told you! We brought the tree back to life!" Karol exclaims excitedly. Rita smacks Karol on the head, I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Hey there, don't go injuring anybody." I say, she wrestles her shoulder from my grip, giving me a glare, before she sprinted towards the tree.

"Oh you've returned!" We turn to see the mayor walking towards us. "Just as the knight said." I look down at Repede, who huffs. Yep, missed the elusive knight once again.

"Um...do you mean Flynn?" Estelle questions, I sigh, my hand scratching Repede between the ears.

"Unfortunately, you just missed him." He says, guilt in his tone.

"Yuri's bad luck is coming to haunt us." Repede gives a bark in agreement, and I giggle, looking up at Yuri, whose eyebrow is raised in question. I ignore his look.

"No way! Not again…" Karol moans. I pat his head, messing up his hair. He pouts at me. Ah! So adorable! I pinch his cheeks and he swats my hand away, his cheeks cherry red. I zone out of my surroundings after that, reveling in the fact that Kris was there, and his emotions were calm, and not blocked. I send him a feeling of warmth and happiness. But...his response was lagged...and when he did respond, it was a tiny wave of happiness, our usual 'hello'. What's wrong?! Why did it take so long?! Is he sick? Or hurt? I'm brought out of my worried musings by Estelle calling out my name. she's looking at me, not worried, as everyone is used to me zoning out. Yuri though...is giving me an unreadable look from behind Estelle, as if he knows something's up. I grin as wide as I can manage.

"What's up?" I question, tearing myself from his piercing grey gaze, looking down at the papers in his hands. I snag the posters, and grin widely. "Wanted posters?!" I laugh. "Nice!' I show Yuri's badly drawn face to Repede, who barks in laughter. My drawing isn't much better, with my price being the same as Yuri's.

'Oh come on! Only 5,000 gald?" Yuri says in agitation. I pout dramatically.

"Ripoff~" Karol is looking at me like I'm crazy. I shrug at him, before narrowing my gaze at the small print below my name. Nothing on _why _I'm listed as wanted… "The only question is why do I have a poster?" I mumble.

"That's way too high for breaking out of jail! You must have done something else!" Karol is voicing my thoughts exactly.

"S-so, what does the letter say?" Estelle asks. I give her a calculating look...Oh wait, maybe I was put in with the 'stealing the empire's princess' deal. Probably...hopefully. Estelle grasps the letter gently. "I'm going to Nor Harbor." She recites. "Catch up with me." Yuri snorts, pushing his hair out of his face, I can't help but notice my tiny braid from earlier mixed in with the purple strands.

"Catch up with him.' Easy for him to say." I sigh dramatically.

"He also said to watch out for assassins." She read off.

"They have a head start! Unfair!" I pout, before realizing what she just read. "Hey! How the hell does he know we're being hunted?" I sigh. Suddenly, Kris sends out a sharp wave of pain. I wince harshly. It felt like a migraine mixed with a fever. Not fun.

"Tina?" Karol asks, and I look down at his worried brown eyes. I give him a grin.

"I'm fine! Just a bit of a headache!" I wave off. I turn my head, closing my eyes to the soft breeze. I try to send the feeling back to him...but it's only silence. I look up as Yuri walks off, and Repede gently herds me off to the side, where I sit down and rest my head against the wall of a house. Dammit...if that brat dies on me...I'll truly be alone, won't I? I sit there in my own little world for who knows how long, Till a loud and familiar voice awakens me from my stupor.

"Now, come back with us while you can!' Leblanc….shit. I don't want to deal with this. Noppity nope. I stand there, trying not to blow, before I give it up. He deserves a good kick anyways. While he yells at Yuri, I walk up behind him, lift my leg and… "Ugh!" He yelps, as I kick him on the ass.

"I'm not in the mood for this shit!' I bark angrily. I turn to Estelle, who's looking at me, shocked. "You staying with us?" I ask. She nods, I look the the knight under my foot. "Hear that? She wants to travel with us a bit longer, so leave it alone!" The familiar ring of a spell echoes, and I look over at Rita, who also seems really pissed. I jump out of the way as the fireball blows the three knights back.

"She says she's not going back, so get lost!" She barks, and I really want to high five her now, but we need to go _now!_

"Yuri! It's them again!" I groan mentally as I turn to our newest problem. Up by the tree is, guess what, red eyes! I look Yuri in the eye.

"Nope." I say flatly. He nods. I grab Karol by the hand, and start jogging towards the exit, Repede beside me. The others lag behind, but eventually the knights confront the assassins, and we manage to go on our way.

So after, we're forced to set up camp as it's getting too dark to keep moving. I apologize to Karol for the fifteenth time for bruising his hand during our escape, but he waves it off with a grin. After all, Estelle already fixed it. No sooner has the fire been lit, that Yuri is dragging me off behind a tree. He stares me down and I shrink inside.

"Spill." I gulp harshly, hiding my shaking hands behind my back. He catches it anyways, and his eyes soften marginally. "Tina…" I bite my lip, before a sudden wave of pain makes me stumble forwards. I barely hear Yuri's worried call as I'm dragged into what feels like my dream weeks ago.

_It's dark, and the scent of copper is heavy and there's screaming, so much screaming. Sobbing and wailing echoes through the room, and voices bounce around me. Through the haze of pain I can make out a few words. "...wrong…...not…...one…" The other voice is hauntingly familiar, and I try to identify it. "...girl…...gold….." Then, the screams come back, and I realize they're my screams. No, not mine._

_They're Kris's. "T-Tina!" My name sobs from vocal chords that are but aren't mine._

"Tina!" Yuri shakes me, what looks like fear in his eyes. I try to tell him I'm okay, but then I remember the _screams_ and I shudder, tucking my head into his neck. His arms hold me tightly as my body seizes, I muffle my sobs in his shoulder, as the pain from injuries that aren't mine but feel _there_ disappear. When I've calmed down, Yuri grabs my shoulders gently, holding me at arm's length.

"S-sometimes, n-no, all the t-time…" I take in a shaky breath. "I-I can f-feel Kris's feelings, t-that's how I k-k-know he's alive." I grab his tightly, tucking my head back onto his shoulder in an embrace that's so unknown, but so comforting and warm.

"...and?" He coaxes me. I shudder. "S-so much pain…I don't know if he's even alive anymore…" I mumble. Yuri's grip on me tightens.

"We'll find him." He says is with so much conviction, that I can't help but feel a bud of hope.

"Y-yeah." I breath out, feeling my face heat as I realize my current position. "We will."

**Thanks for waiting! I had to wipe my computer, luckily thi is on my google docs, but even so that ruined my schedule massively. Anyways, I hope you guys found this okay! This ending to the chapter made me really, really sad, and it took me a while to write. After all, Kris's personality is based off my brother, so writing a scene like what I ended with...took me longer than it should have. Enough of my sadness! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Favourite, review and the works!**

**From: Dragon S.W.K.**


	10. The Silence

**Hello~ We're getting into spring! Hurray! BUT, what also comes with spring, specifically April to June, is a very busy schedule for me. I have competitions and exams, and my chapters will probably be even slower during this time! I thank my lucky stars that no one has gotten mad at me for being so slow, and I promise to try to be faster during summer break! That's it for updates! I've heard some murmurs of story stealing and removal again, and even though it didn't sound legit, I'll still put a disclaimer out there that I own nothing but Tina, Kris, and the modifications I put in this story! Anyone with arte ideas that is willing to share throw em at me! Other than that, let's get writing!**

I giggle softly as Karol babbles on about Nor Harbor. His rambling fills the silence in my head that's dragged on and on. None of them mention the bags under my eyes, but Estelle is obviously worried, and Yuri stubbornly avoids my eyes when I think he's looking at me. Karol is more subtle, he's taken to sleeping closer to me during the night, and his breathing helps fill the emptiness in my head. Rita doesn't seem to notice, but I can't blame her, she's known me for barely a few days.

"Here!" Karol shouts, the one to bring me out of my zone, as usual. Ehmead Hill was large, very large, with the vast forest along the sides reaching out onto the road.

"So this is Ehmead Hill?" I ask out loud, eyes taking in the tall greenery.

"That's weird…." I look down at Karol, who's obviously extremely confused. "The barrier's gone…"

"Wait!" I exclaim. "They have a barrier for a goddamn hill but not Deidon Hold?!" I exclaim, looking over at the others. They simply shrug.

"It's pretty new, that's what Nan said." Karol defends himself, and I ruffle his hair, causing him to pout.

"So, why is the barrier gone?" Rita impatiently asks, stomping forwards. I wiggle my eyebrows at Karol, and he blushes brightly. Oooh, so he's got a crush~ I think I remember her now, the girl with the giant boomerang right?

"Not finding you if you get lost." Yuri says exasperatedly. I laugh at him, only to pause when the walking pink force of nature that is Estelle, steps in front of my view.

"What's wrong?" She asks, her tone firm but soft. I turn my eyes away, catching Karol's worried brown ones.

"Just…" I sigh. "Just been worried about my brother." I force out, trying to stay neutral. Estelle opens her mouth to continue her interrogation

"Hey, hey!" A unknown voice yells. "No outsiders allowed!" I thank Rita to the high heavens when Estelle turns and starts to jog towards the commotion. Yuri pats my shoulder, giving me a small smirk.

"Hurry up Tina." I give him a smile, slowly working myself back into a better mood.

"Let me through! I'm Rita Mordio of the Imperial Blastia Research Laboratory." Rita huffs at the man, who sputters.

"Oh, you're a mage from Aspio? Excuse me." Rita then proceeds to reach her hands deep into the smoking mass of broken machinery. "Oh! But you can't just do as you please! Let me go and ask the-" He seems to cut himself off when he finally realizes Rita don't give two shits about what he has to say, and dashes off. Yuri gives that funny snort of his, watching the running man with a smirk.

"Huh, I could use some of her attitude." He looks over at me, and I give him a dry look.

"You have plenty of it, trust me." He gives me an 'innocent' smirk. Estelle just giggles behind her hand.

'I agree." He gives Estelle a wounded look.

"Now everyone's teaming up on me." I decide to ignore his strangely adorable pout, in favor of an excited, flailing Karol.

"Hey!" He shouts. "Listen to this!" He says, almost bouncing on the spot. I zone out as Karol goes on and on, describing his tale with various sound effects. He finally pauses, and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"What." He gives me a mildly insulted look. I shrug, it's not unusual for me not to pay attention.

"Someone riding a flying dragon, threw a giant spear at the blastia!" I perk up. Oh yeah Judith was the one who destroyed this one!

"Tina? Sound familiar?" I jolt, looking at Yuri. Damn, he's really keeping an eye on me!

"I saw something eerily similar while traveling. Some white-armored knight on a serpent-type monster." I look over at the broken blastia, mentally patting myself on the back. I hate lying but...it's not like they would believe me.

"I've never heard of something like that...where did you see this Tina?" I give her a sheepish grin.

"My village was pretty isolated, and through my travels I never really grabbed a map. I would get lost anyways." She nods in acceptance, but Yuri keeps giving me his usual deep look, like he always does when he suspects I'm lying.

"They called him the 'dragon rider'!" Karol rambles on, and I grin at his childish flailing.

"Well, the world's just full of surprises." Yuri rambles off, still staring at me. I raise my eyebrow challengingly, and he gives me a smirk. Stop! No blushing!

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Let me go!" Rita outraged cries give me a jolt of instinctual memory. I slide into the bushes when I spot knights, not wanting to be identified. Despite his half-hearted protests, Yuri's wanted picture was way less accurate than my own.

"There she goes again." Wow, even Karol's learning sarcasm. Yuri's a bad influence.

"Something is definitely strange with this blastia formula!" The formula….that's important, definitely, important. I don't remember exactly how, but I need to keep that in mind.

"We need a distraction!" Karol mumbles to himself, panicked.

"HEY! SOMEONE SPOTTED THE DRAGON RIDER FURTHER DOWN THE HILL!" I shout loudly, raising my pitch slightly. The knights turn around, some running off while the one restraining Rita stays. One pauses at our group, and I scowl, sneaking around him slowly.

"Wait a minute, there's a warrant for your-" I snap my hand out, knocking him unconscious through the opening between his helmet and collar. Yuri nods at me, and runs to grab Rita. Repede takes out the remaining knight, and I usher everyone in the trees.

"I'm sorry." Estelle mumbles to the knights, rolling my eyes, I grasp her arm gently and pull her into the brush.

"Looks like we lost them, good thinking Tina." I give Yuri a grin and a wink.

"All a part of my charm." He turns away abruptly, to my confusion. Estelle giggles and I groan. I give up! I'm missing something!

"*huff* That blastia formula *huff* was so strange…" Rita pants out, her mind obviously going a mile a minute. I stiffen. Again with that formula! What am I missing?!

"Strange, something fishy about it?" I thank my luck that, this time, Yuri isn't looking my way.

"Sounds mighty fishy." I agree, adjusting one of my foot wraps.

"Well, our hands are already full as it is, so mind leaving us out of this?" Yuri asks, not rudely, but not politely. Rita shrugs.

"It doesn't concern you regardless." I can taste the irony in that statement. Yeah this formula is important.

"Yuri LOWELLLLLLLLLLL! Where have you run off to now?!" I laugh quietly when Yuri's eyebrow twitches. Good old Leblanc!

"Hey Mr. Famous, seems you got a fan out there." I can't hold back a snort, and Yuri gives me a glare.

"Again?" He sighs dramatically. "He gives a new meaning to the word 'workaholic'."

"Where are you and your fugitive girlfriend hiding?" I hold back a laugh, giving Yuri a wide grin.

"I've been promoted, from 'fugitive' to fugitive's girlfriend'!" I giggle. Yuri smirks at me, shoving me lightly.

'Lady Esteliiiiissssseeeee I say! Do come out of hiding!" I snort at the tall knight's face, I will never get over his mustache. Rita is giving us an unimpressed look.

"You guys have a lot of problems." Yuri snorts. I grin innocently. "Just who are you guys anyways?" Estelle shifts nervously.

"Um...well, I'm…"

"Yuuuuri, come out, come out, wherever you are!" The third of the Three Musketeers interrupts with beautiful timing.

"You can talk about that later!" Yuri urges, trying to move us deeper into the bushes. I sigh in relief as we start walking, I was getting restless being so near the road.

"Let's get to the Harbor before things get any worse!" Karol says firmly, marching forwards while trying not to seem as scared of the knights as he actually is. I jog up to him, ruffling his hair while Repede headbutts my hand. Maybe I can manage through the silence a bit longer...

"Isn't this a beast trail?" Estelle asks, sticking close behind me. I crane my neck up at her. "Are we safe here?"

"The size of the trail shows that the monsters won't be too big, so we should be good." I say casually, letting my feet drag through the taller, softer grass along the trail.

"Besides, what's a few monsters against our brave Captain Karol?" I turn to scold Yuri, but Karol's somewhat confident answer makes me shut my mouth. Eh, we'll only deal with small monsters.

_Skit: Who is Nan?_

_Karol: Hey Estelle, I noticed you keep looking in my direction-what's up?_

_Estelle: You don't mind if I ask? All right, well then...here goes._

_Estelle: This...Nan, are you in love with her?_

_Karol: Ack…*hack* *cough* *choke*_

_Estelle: Nan's a girl's name right? Is she the girl you wanted to show Halure's flowers to?_

_Karol; Waaaaa! No, no, no! You've got it all wrong!_

_Estelle: I do?_

_Karol: Man, she'd be so angry if she heard you say that…_

_Estelle: Karol good luck with her! I'm rooting for you!_

_Karol: Uh yeah...well, thanks. That's encouraging…._

_End of Skit_

_Skit: The Dragon Rider_

_Yuri: Man, some people have some weird hobbies. I mean, who goes around destroying blastia?_

_Estelle: I wouldn't really call that a hobby._

_Rita: If we ever come across whoever's doing this, I'll destroy him!_

_Tina: Whoa there Spitfire, save the flames for him, not us!_

_Karol: But what if he has some reason for what he's doing?_

_Tina: *mumble* goddamn foreshadowing…._

_Rita: They can have any reason they want! Destroying blastia is unforgivable! Period!_

_Karol: Ack my, my neck! My neck! Waaaaaagh! Ack, heeeelp me Yuri! Tina!_

_Tina: Come on Karol! Fight! _

_Yuri: Meh, that'd take effort. Just play nice with each other kids._

_Karol: Estelle…_

_Estelle: Umm….do your best Karol!_

_End of Skit_

_Skit: Halure's Art_

_Tina: Hmmm…._

_Karol: What's up Tina?_

_Tina: For such a floral environment, Halure's art is pretty dark. See this that I bought here?_

_Estelle: Oh? It's a beautiful woman with a tree growing out of her!_

_Tina: Yeah….remember that story the mayor told us?_

_Yuri: ...It that the 'caged emperor's bride' or whatever?_

_Estelle: You mean the fiancèe of Brimstone the Fourth?_

_Tina: Yeah, apparently she was murdered and her blood colours the tree's petals...this painting is so pretty though…._

_Karol: A-are you keeping that Tina?!_

_Tina: Duh, I love art._

_Yuri: Even with the dark story, it's still pretty cool._

_Karol: I-I guess…._

_End of Skit_

_Skit: A Nice, Fun, Relaxing Trip_

_Yuri: Red eyes, Knights,Tina…. Why can't we just have a nice, fun, relaxing trip?_

_Tina: Yeah….hey wait a minute!_

_Karol: You're one to complain Yuri._

_Rita: Yeah, weren't those knights calling for both Tina AND you?_

_Karol: But you're the one who was fighting with the mages Rita._

_Tina: I wonder how ranking even works among the mages?_

_Rita: I know all who are higher rank by NAME. Those weren't them._

_Estelle: Please, everyone! We're okay, aren't we? I actually think it's kind of fun!_

_Yuri: If you think being chased is fun, you're gonna love the rest of this trip._

_Tina: *mumbles* and the foreshadowing continues…._

_Karol: Yeah, you may have written off what just happened but we're still fugitives._

_Tina: ….hey, what am I being charged for?_

_End of Skit._

_Skit: The value of a Barrier Blastia_

_Yuri: That was a pretty big commotion over breaking a single barrier blastia._

_Karol: I dunno, it seemed the commotion Rita caused was even bigger!_

_Rita: Stop bringing up trivial details!_

_Estelle: Of course people would be upset, it's a barrier blastia._

_Tina: My only question is why does Ehmead Hill even have one?_

_Estelle: What do you mean?_

_Tina: Well, looking at Deidon Hold, it is obviously crucial for bringing in supplies for the capital, so why the hell was this barrier not placed there?_

_Yuri: That's a good point, blastia make everything easier, look at the lower quarter when we're missing just one._

_Estelle: I hope they're okay…_

_Tina: Don't worry, we'll get the aque blastia in not time!_

_End of Skit _

"Was it me or you who jinxed us?" I ask dryly looking up at the giant wolf monster. Yuri snorts, throwing his sheath aside.

"Th-that's one of the monsters that attacked Halure!" Karol cries obviously shaking in fear. I put my hand on his head, and he stares up at me with scared eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't allow my friends to die." And I meant it. I didn't have friends back home. Now that I do have them, I'm not letting them go. With this new purpose filling the silence, I clench my jaw, determined.

"A survivor huh?" Yuri snarks. He gives me an approving glance.

"If we leave it here, it'll surely go back and try to attack Halure again.' That's what you're worried about?! But then I notice Rita is shifting nervously. She's not as nonchalant as she wants to be. I mean, we're fighting a giant fucking dog wolf!

"But Halure has the barrier protecting it now!" Estelle says. Are Karol and I the only ones who notice the fact that the monster has no intention of attacking the village and every intention of attacking us?!

"Even so, how are the people of Halure supposed to sleep at night with beasts like this crawling around just outside the barrier?" Yuri growls. Then I figure it out. Courage. Just like how I'm willing to risk my life for them they're willing to risk theirs for people they don't even know. I smirk, straightening up. I'm not as selfless as Estelle and Yuri, but I can protect my friends. Hopefully, that's good enough. It roars, and I grin, stepping forwards.

"Bring it dog breath!" I shout. It howls, charging forwards. I roll to my left, before I feel energy start to gather within my feet. A new arte, eh? I charge forwards as Karol crouches, planting my hands on his shoulders, and swinging my legs in a helicopter kick. "Windmill!" I shout as green energy swirls outwards, causing the large dog, and it's two pups who had appeared, flying backwards. Karol gives me a pout, before charging towards the main dog, I spin around to look at Rita, whom is in mid chant.

"Aim for the pups! Take them out first!" Memories of fighting this particular boss are hard to grasp, and that's the only piece of info I can remember, I hope it's enough… Feeling the wind against my back, I immediately fall into a bridge, the beast's claws only skimming my stomach. I lift my legs up, slamming them into the dog's nose before landing in a crouch. Sadly, with my back still to the monster, I didn't see it's tail coming to slam into my side. Gasping at the flair of pain in my side, I desperately try to twist in the air, and manage to land on my back, instead of my face. Not my feet, but good enough! Green light shines in my vision and the pain in my hip vanishes. The beast turns to Karol, who grits his teeth visibly and slams his axe into the incoming paw. The beast howls in pain, charging forwards and slamming Karol into the ground. Yuri dodges the charging animal, and spins his sword.

"Destruction field!" He yells, red fire-like energy flaring around him, and knocking the beast off it's feet. It's tail lays near me, and I dash forwards, grasping the furry appendage tightly in my hands. Karol grins at me, grasping my waist tightly and planting his feet. Digging my heels into the ground, I _pull._ The dog let's out a sharp whine, and the pups are advancing quickly towards me. I feel that same warmth from the fight with the Goliath blooming in my skull, and I twist a foot here, and a shoulder there, and the beast is flying, smacking into the other two monsters, and crashing into the tree's beyond the clearing. Those pink flowers with the paralyzing fumes spray over them, and Estelle and Yuri dash forwards, defeating each of the pups, while Repede dives at the big beast. The dog manages to stand, but is severely injured, and I fall back, breathing deeply. The warmth scrambles out of my head, and exhaustion not unlike my 'sprint of the cheetah' (insert cringe at name here) fills my bones. Karol is also resting beside me, massaging his feet gingerly. The imprints in the ground a testament to how hard he held his ground.

"Thank god *pant* that's over…" Karol huffs as the beast falls over. I nod, giving him a gin and a thumbs up. He grins back at me. Estelle hurries over, healing everything on me but the coldness the loss of the warmth usually brings. Repede rubs against my leg, looking satisfied, and Yuri is pulling Rita up, who had fallen into one of the flowers when avoiding the flying dog, and was still dazed. Things are good.

Now if only it wasn't so silent.

**Done! For anyone kind of sick with the sad chapters, they will soon be done with! Then we can get back to silliness! :3 MY BIRTHDAY IS IN A WEEK OMG! I'm terribly busy the rest of this April though, so I won't get started on the next chapter till May which is sad news… :( Anyways, I'm at a crossroads with what type of weapon/spells Kris should use! If you have any suggestions, feel free to send me them! Other than that, review, favourite and thanks for reading!**

**From: Dragon S.W.K.**


	11. Play me a memory

**Another chapter! These next few chapters are gonna be intense! Thanks to those who reviewed! I've decided on Kris's weapon! I won't tell you what it is, but know that it's a long ranged support, and that he's gonna be badass! This chapter is gonna be pretty fab and go pretty deep, but hopefully it turns out alright!**

"Here she goes again. It's really just one big puddle, you know." Rita snarks, and I simply laugh, because the sun against the water was beautiful. It also reminded me of good times. I took in the salty smell of the ocean and grinned towards the sky.

_Flashback_

"_You brats leave me alone, don't come home till supper got it?" She jokes. I give my aunt a crooked grin, fishing out some bills I snatched early._

"_Got it covered." She nods, before the call of her friends draws her back inside. Kris and I share a grin as we walk off, and both ignore the now familiar pang of sadness._

"_Whoa look at that!" I exclaim, chewing on a burger aggressively. The sun is dipping below the waves along the beach, creating a path of light up to the heavens…_

"_Are you being a poet in your brain again?" Kris teases me, sipping his milkshake. I give him a playful growl and he grins. A wave of playfulness flickers from him, and he tosses out his empty shake and my wrapper, before sprinting off._

"_Hey!" I laugh out, running after him. I chase after him across the sand, and tackle him to the ground. My fingers sneak into his armpit and hip, and he shrieks in laughter, desperately trying to kick me off. _

"_I give!" He finally yells, and I flop off of him, my fingers abiding to his giggling shouts. _

"_Hey Tina…" His voice is quiet and breathless from our wrestling in the sand. We lay there, staring at the sunset reflecting off the water._

"_Yeah?" I ask, tearing my eyes of the scenery towards him. He gives a small smile._

"_We'll always be together...right?" I grab his hand, grinning at the familiar feeling of his large hands swallowing mine._

"_Of course!" I laugh, tossing my head back in the sand. I hear Kris take a deep breath._

"_I love the smell of the ocean…"_

"_...yeah…"_

_End of Flashback_

"Tina!" I look over to see the other's making their way down the path. I look back towards the ocean once more, before running after them.

We'll always be together...I promise.

_Skit: Graves _

_Estelle: That lone grave...seems so sad…_

_Karol: Yuri? Is it true what you said?_

_Tina: Said what?_

_Yuri: People of the lower quarter rarely get proper burials, mostly just cremating, and yeah, it's true. It's just how it works. _

_Estelle: Also, we were wondering who that lone gravestone belonged to._

_Tina: Well...it seemed like a personal spot. It was probably very important to the person who died. Maybe it held memories. Who knows…_

_Yuri: That's similar to the ashes. We usually spread them over places that held value to them._

_Estelle: But, doesn't that still seem a bit...sad?_

_Rita: can we stop talking about this? It's just some random guys grave!_

_Tina: *sigh*_

_Yuri: ...Tina?_

_Tina: Hmm? Oh...nah, it's nothing…_

_End of skit_

_Skit: Can we finally meet Flynn?_

_Estelle: I hope we'll finally be able to meet Flynn when we get to Nor Harbor_

_Tina: Damn right! We've been chasing him forever!_

_Yuri: I get the feeling we'll miss him again…_

_Tina: If we do, I'm fighting you. _

_Yuri: What? Why?!_

_Karol: He could be passing by the foot of Ehmead hill right now, headed back to the capital…_

_Estelle: But Flynn left us a letter! I'm sure he's waiting for us!_

_Yuri: We'll see…_

_Rita: Why did we have to take such a convoluted path through the hill, anyway?_

_Karol: It's your fault!_

_Rita: How was I supposed to help that….?! Quit blaming other people and let's get moving! Otherwise we'll end up missing him for sure!_

_Estelle: R-right! Let's hurry to Nor Harbor! _

_End of skit_

"Whoa!" I cheer, flipping neatly off of a monster. I look myself over, checking for injuries I might have missed.

"Why are you always so happy?" I turn around, looking at Rita in surprise. I mean, I wasn't expecting her of all people to ask me that…

"Life's too short to not enjoy it whenever possible." I say, giving her a small smile. She blushes slightly. Yet, as usual, I seemed to have somehow pissed her off.

"Only people who has never actually lost someone has said that! I bet your brother is perfectly fine, and you're just tagging along! Stop acting like you know what pain is then shrugging it off right after!" ...what did she just say? She thinks I don't know what suffering is?! Pain? Sadness? I notice Yuri and Karol had caught her accusation, and were staring at her in surprise. After all, this had appeared kind of out of nowhere. I take in a deep breath. No need to make a scene...calm. I look her in the eye, before giving a wide grin.

"Yeah, I'm just here for Yuri's amazing cooking!" I laugh out, letting the burning anger in my chest fade back down to a simmer. Rita looks like she want to say more, but seems to have noticed our audience, now with Estelle, who hopefully hadn't heard anything. By the look on her face, she obviously hadn't. I walk towards Rita, and as I walk by her I ruffle her hair. She gives me a surprised look, before glaring.

"You okay Tina?" How come Karol always seems to know when something is wrong? I give him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine." He huffs, obviously seeing through my lie. I forcefully shove my anger down. I am not releasing my frustration on Karol.

"That was uncalled for." Yuri's voice was calm, but I could tell he wasn't happy. I pat him on the shoulder.

"Relax. I'm not offended, and maybe...maybe she's suffered more than I have." Maybe, but I wouldn't know. "Our personalities just naturally clash, I don't think she genuinely hates me, and I can't quite bring myself to dislike her." I shrug it off, and stretch my hands upwards. I look behind us to Rita and Estelle whom are chatting. "Hurry up guys! Let's go" I cheer. Rita gives me a look I can't decipher. The warmth tickles up my neck again, and I mentally shiver.

Rubbing the back of my neck I grit my teeth. What the hell is going on with this warmth? It's hotter this time, like more a toasty warm…

"Coming!" Estelle responds, and I hear the sound of running feet. Repede rubs against me when Rita catches up, and if I grip his fur a bit too hard, he doesn't say anything.

"Why are we back here?" I ask curiously. I had zoned out, sketching in my drawing book as I walk. I stroke the black leather cover gently as I close it. It's definitely the nicest one I've ever had. Yuri gives a shrug.

"Rita wants to look at the blastia one more time." I glance around for the knights or mages and pretend that my argument with Rita never happened, even if the warmth tingling in the back of my neck is a continuous reminder. I look back down at my current drawing, sketching out the details carefully. Karol wanders over, obviously bored.

"What are you drawing?" He asks, and I grin down at him.

"You can see when it's done."

"Pleaseeeeee!"

"Nope!"

"But you're really good!"

"So wait till i'm done brat!" I say, smacking him gently on the shoulder. He pouts as he cradles his horrible wound. At this point, Rita had walked over her face sad.

"There's nothing I can do for her….it's just too cruel…" Ignoring my still simmering anger, I desperately search for a reason for her actions. I examine Rita's face as an idea finally clicks in my head. Loneliness. Rita has probably been alone her entire life if her actions and house were anything to go by. I did not see any pictures of friends or family. She's so used to being the lonely and weird one that she subconsciously pushes people away, because she doesn't know what friendship or love is. It was actually quite common in the orphanage, though perhaps not on this big of a scale. She saw me actually managing to be a social part of the group despite the small bits I've told them about my own struggles, and maybe got...jealous? Envious? Just plain angry? The anger in my system fades from a simmer to nothing, snuffing itself out. I can't really be mad at her now that I've justified it. Matching it up with her future (maybe?) behaviour, I'm pretty sure I'm correct. The warmth, tingling in the back of my neck, slowly fades away and leaves me feeling cooled off and clear-headed. Finally!

"...Well, it's certainly clear that blastia are important to Rita." Yuri's voice carries into my musings and tugs me towards their conversation. I give a grin.

"Obviously! I mean, they're pretty damn important!" Estelle chastises me of my language, despite me swearing multiple times before, and I just giggle at her, causing her to pout. Rita is looking at me, shocked, and I simply grin at her. I'm used to the young orphan's tempers flying. I really shouldn't have reacted so badly to hers.

"Hey…" Karol shuffles in front of me nervously, and I tilt my head in question. Why's he so anxious? "Could I see your drawing now?"Ah...glad I finished it in time. It's sort of quiet time around the campfire and Estelle seems curious about my drawing as well.

"Why don't you just show everyone? Make it more simple." I jump slightly, when did Yuri get behind me?! I ignore the heat of my cheeks and quickly open my book. Bittersweetness fills me as I come across the finished project.

"This is the ocean shore by where we lived." It was hard to forget a view like that...I've drawn it a million times, though this just might be the best one I've ever done. The view was at the perfect angle to allow both the sun and moon over it at times. The mirage of colours was always stunning, but I could never paint it just right. It seems that simple shading could bring out it the most. (I don't have anything to colour with after all.) The beach had been littered with trash and different bits of crap that Kris and I always cleaned up. The forest on the other side of the small bay we were in was dark, mysterious, and perfect for playing mystical characters when we were little….and when we were big.

"It's so pretty!" Estelle gushed and leaned in to get a better look. Even Rita had inched in to see. I smile at her, before looking down at the drawing.

"Kris and I went swimming here all the time." I sighed. I'd been forcing thoughts of Kris out of my head ever since my embarrassing breakdown to Yuri, and it was breaking me down mentally and emotionally.

"We'll find him! Don't worry about it!" Karol reassures me, and I sigh, letting out a lot of my anxiety.

"I hope so…" I look down at the picture, before smiling. Now wasn't the time to mope. I point at the sky.

"Did you know that when the sun and moon were like this, and it had rained, a rainbow would appear?" I grin at Karol. "This one was special though! It would form a circle! Like...a colour wheel!" As I continued to ramble about the lake, I feel everyone inching closer. Rita, Karol and Estelle are listening intently. Repede is laying across my lap lazily. Yuri...is behind me, arm around my shoulder as he listened. The silence doesn't seem so silent anymore.

Capua Nor was damp and depressing, and memories of what happened in the game flicker through my mind in a random and disorganized order. Damn, shit is gonna go down here.

"Man, the weather sure changed in a hurry." Yuri mutters, flipping back his already soaked hair. I give him a shit eating grin as I shake my short hair everywhere. He scowls at me playfully, giving me a light shove.

"Let's find an inn before we get soaked!" Karol whines, his hair flat against his face. We start to head forwards, but Estelle is staring ahead of us, her face blank.

"Estelle?" I ask, peeking into her field of vision.

"O-oh I just thought a harbor town would be more...lively than this…" I look around, and shrug.

"Rain isn't always sad! But, the people here seem to be." I muse, letting my eyes rake across the hunched, hungry people. "Something's wrong…" I mumble to myself. Repede leans against my leg and nibbles my hand. He seems to agree.

"Seems like the type of place our core thief would hang out." Rita mentions. Yuri shakes his head.

"Dedecchi was headed for Torim Harbor." Right, that was the thief's name! I had forgotten that for a while.

"I'm sure the two are pretty similar." I shake my head at Rita. Back in my world, we lived in a dark and forested area. Closest harbor was a freaking tropical beach getaway. Didn't work like that.

"No way, it's only Nor harbor that's scummy like this." Karol denies, confirming my thoughts.

"Then why is it like this? Aren't harbors usually flourishing because of trade?" I ask. I already know the answer, and it brings a sour taste to my mouth.

"It's because of the empire."Karol states flatly. Of course, jesus the empire can't seem to do anything right.

"I told you what would happen to that little brat if you didn't have our money!' Que empire thug to stage left! The vaguely familiar couple were crouched on the ground, the man's head to the floor in a formal bow. His eyes were shadowed by bloody bandages on his head. I could feel my anger rising, but held myself back from acting.

"Please sir! Not that! Please give my son back!" I can feel myself scowling.

"Yuri." I mutter. He glances at me, his eyes bright with hate for the two men. "Hold me back." I grit out, my nails were biting into my hands, but had yet to break the skin. The man continued to beg, pointing out the bad weather as the cause for the lack of money. Wait taxes?! That's why their kid was taken?! _Taxes?!_ Yuri's hand is digging into my shoulder. I turn to him and his eyes refuse to stray from the two men, dark in anger. Taking in a deep breath I close my eyes. Slowly, I fight back my anger once again. My temper is gonna throttle me if I keep this up.

"Get that horn, and you never have to do taxes again!" The last man exclaimed, before walking off. Leaving the two villagers cowering and injured in the rain.

"Savages…" Rita scoffs beside me. I grit my teeth as I slowly calm back down.

"Is that the sort of scum you were talking about Karol?" Yuri's tone says he already knows the answer. I do too.

"Yeah, the empire's influence is really strong here." He says grimly. I sigh sadly. "I hear things got worse with the new magistrate. He's some imperial big shot who does whatever he wants." Abusing your power against people like that…

"He's an idiot." Everyone turns to look at me.

"I've seen seven year olds with better strategies than this. His power is gonna collapse underneath him, taking innocents with it." This was true. Whenever the little guys at the orphanage were playing role play games, the people who wanted to be king or queen had to be smart. Last time someone tried to do that in the game, his people let their team lose. Now, put that into perspective now and with what I know of this magistrate...he's gonna disappear. Whether by me, or someone else.

"He's letting his soldiers go around like that, he's careless." Yuri gives me a searching look, before he nods in agreement.

"But how can that be…?" Estelle asks in disbelief. I feel a flash of pity. Her entire world, and her belief in the empire's justice is crumbling around her. Yuri walks forwards, dragging me with him. The husband stands up, and walks towards us. Is he after the horn off that monster again, even with those injuries?!

"That's enough! You're hurt...you might even get yourself killed this time!" The wife exclaims. The husband grimaces.

"But it's our son! If I don't go…" Suddenly, Yuri's hands are on my back, shoving me right into the running man!

"Aah!" I yelp, falling onto the man. He shoves me off, and I scowl at Yuri.

"I'm sorry!" I say, standing up hurriedly. He groans, grasping his head.

"Oow…" He glares up at us, and I inwardly curse Yuri. "What are you trying to do?!" Yuri shrugs.

"Sorry about my friend, she's clumsy." What?! HE PUSHED ME! I pout at him, and I see that freaking glint in his eye the asshole!

"Yuri! Tina!" Estelle berates is. Why is she berating me?! She sits by the man.

"My apologies sir, let me take care of that." Wait...he's manipulating Estelle into healing the man….that's so sweet! I still won't forgive him though!

"B-but I...can't afford this treatment…" The wife mutters. I wince at the look of despair on her face.

"No worries!" I exclaim, they turn to me and I blush brightly. "I-I mean I was the o-one to bump into you guys….so it's okay!" Their faces twist in uncertainty. Come on...

"Don't you have something else to say?" Yuri asks. Dammit Yuri this isn't the time for sass!

"H-huh?" The lady stutters.

"Jeez, have you guys been robbed of your manners along with your money?" Oooooh, he's playing the bad-nice guy act. He could've worked with my idea though..

"I'm sorry….thank you most kindly." The lady stands and bows formally. A flash of grey catches my eye. Yuri gives me a look, and I nod. We both move casually to the alley way, Yuri walking in front of me. Before we enter the alley, Yuri holds out a hand behind my back. He wants me to stay out here and watch?! I could kick his ass anyday! Well...I can him back later, he's already gone in anyways. Three red eyes drop into the alley, and I frown, sitting back to watch. He seems to be winning, before two of them jump along the walls, about to double team him! Before I can move to join, I pause, and a flash of blonde passes me by. The two red eyes are slashed away by a familiar blonde knight. Images flash through my mind...Flynn?

"Yuri, are you alright?" Yuri scowls.

"Flynn! What are you….that's my line!" I laugh loudly, causing both to turn towards me, Flynn with with sword pointed at me.

"You must be Flynn!" I grin widely, and a look of horror appears on Yuri's face. Mwhahahaha!

"You're the one whose horrible at cooking right?" Blue eyes narrow, before turning to Yuri, who's sweating nervously. Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun!

**Done! Now as I mentioned, all those months ago it was my birthday and my dad promised me a new laptop for around finals. So, I kind of put this story on the shelf in favour of dance competitions and school work. Finally, I have a new laptop in my grasp, finals are almost done, and I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! This chapter was especially hard because I had intense plans for what happens after this (Kris) so I was very impatient to finish, but was determined to still make this chapter good! Now, I know I've been doing a bit of a balancing act between really depressing and really happy, but Tina is pretty imbalanced right now, so I try to portray it through my writing style. Thank you for those who gave reviews! They're really inspiring! :3 Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this! Review, Follow and Favourite!**

**From: Dragon S.W.K.**


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